Spiritually Minded Ministries

GALATIONS 3:22
SCRIPTURE HAS CONFINED ALL UNDER SIN
When we, as New Testament believers, think about the Law of Moses, it’s important to remember the context in which Paul was speaking. He was pointing to the purpose of the Law—why God the Father brought it into existence in the first place. The Law wasn’t given to save us, but to help us see our need for salvation. It reveals our shortcomings and shines a light on the areas where our thinking—and even our relationships—fall short of what God promised to Abraham.
A Spiritually Minded Believer understands that the Law isn’t against God’s promises. It actually works alongside them by showing us that we cannot produce righteousness on our own. If the Law could have given life, then righteousness would come through it. But it doesn’t. Instead, Scripture shows that we are all under the influence of sin so that God’s promises can come to us through faith—faith in the finished work of Jesus on the cross.
Think of it like a shepherd preparing to shear his sheep. He gathers them together and keeps them close, so they won’t wander off or be missed. They’re brought in, not to stay confined, but to be cared for and prepared. Then, once they’ve been shorn, they’re released again to graze and be nourished.
That’s a picture of us. As believers, we’re brought in close so we can understand truth, but we’re also sent back out—not to wander aimlessly, but with purpose. We go back into the world to seek others, so they too can come to know the promise that comes through faith.

PROVERBS 20:15
THE LIPS OF KNOWLEDGE ARE A PRECIOUS JEWEL
In 369 BC, Plato records a conversation between Socrates and a young mathematician named Theaetetus, in which the question is posed: “What is knowledge?” Is it perception? Is it a true belief one holds? Or, is it true belief accompanied by a proper accounting?
When I was a young Christian explaining my conversion to my father, he listened intently and seemed genuinely interested. When I finished, he paused to consider his response. As a self-proclaimed skeptic of anything that appeared religious, he finally told me that a man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man who only has an argument—and that I did, indeed, seem to have had an experience.
Pontius Pilate once asked Jesus, “What is truth?”—this after Jesus declared that He had come to “bear witness to the truth,” as if Pilate had any real understanding of what truth was. Scripture tells us that knowledge proceeds from the mouth and is a precious jewel. Like crown jewels—closely guarded, treasured by both owner and beholder, meant to be displayed and admired by all who cast their gaze upon them—they are beautiful and valuable, and though worn only by royalty, they are intended to be appreciated by everyone.
This verse states that “there is gold and a multitude of rubies”—both beautiful and admired when crafted and displayed—but, it says, “the lips of knowledge are a precious jewel.”