1 CORINTHIANS 14
13 Therefore, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays but my mind is unfruitful. 15 What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also. 16 Otherwise, if you give thanks with your spirit, how can anyone in the position of an outsidersay “Amen” to your thanksgiving when he does not know what you are saying? 17 For you may be giving thanks well enough, but the other person is not being built up. 18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 Nevertheless, in church I would rather speak five words with my mind in order to instruct others, than ten thousand words in a tongue. – 1 Corinthians 14:13-19
1 CORINTHIANS 14 UNITY OF MIND AND SPIRIT
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
Since our Lord wants us to worship him in truth and Spirit
We need to align our minds and spirits as well to praise Him
When our minds are not in sync with our spirit, we develop confusion
That conflict inside us creates much chaos and division
If you line up your mind to the truth, you will have order
You’ll begin to see lies and then discern right from wrong.
In this letter, Paul brings about a very essential ingredient in a believer. Unity of mind and spirit is crucial to live a peaceful, productive and joyful life. Paul gives the example of the use of the gifts of tongue and interpretation. He says that if you can speak a language that you cannot explain or interpret, what good would that be for the hearers of your speaking in tongues? So, he encourages them to pray for the gift of interpretation or understanding of a certain declaration that they utter in another language. Just like when you are in a foreign place and you do not know the language of that nation, you would need an interpreter of that language in order for you to understand what they are saying. That would be the only time communication can happen. The same way when we have the gift of speaking in another language, we also need to pray for the ability to interpret what we just spoke about. Otherwise, it is of no use for building up the members of the church when we just utter something they don’t understand.
REFLECTION
- What are some of the effects of disunity with the mind and the spirit?
