1 Timothy 4:14 (KJV)

Passage

Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

Nearby Context

1 Timothy 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

1 Timothy 4:13 Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

1 Timothy 4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

1 Timothy 4:15 Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all.

1 Timothy 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "neglect", "gift", "thee", "given", "prophecy", "laying", and "hands". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "neglect" and "gift", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Till I come give attendance to reading..." into verse 15's "Meditate upon these things give thyself wholly...", so "neglect" and "gift" belong inside that flow. In 1 Timothy context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "neglect" and "gift" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.