Quietness is so much better than strife (v1). (There's even the possibility of ending up being somebody who enjoys strife, (v19) but that's so wrong.) We should spare our words (v27&28). Telling other people about somebody's problems, or bringing past conflicts back up, destroys relationships (v9). Sometimes it's better just to take it and move on.
It's like popping a balloon. You can't say, I'll just make a little hole to let a tiny bit of air out, and the rest will be fine
(v14). When you spill your coffee all over the place, you can't very well put it all back in the cup and enjoy drinking it again. I think of the story of the boy who put his finger in the hole in the dike and saved the whole country of Holland: because if the water had kept rushing through the hole it would have grown exponentially. We need to be the peacemakers who put our fingers in the holes in the dikes.
We can be encouraged if we have fiery trials, because the Lord allows it for His servants, for our good (v3).
We know about the teaching to return good for evil, but what about the other way around (v13)? Here's a serious warning against returning evil for good. And we shouldn't call good evil, or evil good (v15,26).
You know what it's like when you're looking everywhere for something, but you can't find it because it's right under your nose? (v24) Instead of thinking about all the things that could be off out there some day, we should pay attention to what we're supposed to be doing where we are right now.
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