1 Timothy 4:14 (LSB)

Passage

Do not neglect the gift within you, which was given to you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.

Nearby Context

1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but show yourself as a model to those who believe in word, conduct, love, faith, and purity.

1 Timothy 4:13 Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching.

1 Timothy 4:14 Do not neglect the gift within you, which was given to you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.

1 Timothy 4:15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.

1 Timothy 4:16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "neglect", "gift", "within", "given", "through", "prophetic", "utterance", and "laying". 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 "Until I come give attention to the..." into verse 15's "Take pains with these things be absorbed...", 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.