KEEP CALM AND LIVE LIFE TO THE FULL. AND DON’T FORGET TO SMILE!
Another 33 proverbs here in Proverbs 15. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. The clue’s in the name of the book, I guess.
So let’s today pick out first what we can learn about our relationships, then our attitude to life and then…
1. Relationships
- the best way to respond to someone else’s anger is to be gentle in our response. That defuses the situation rather than escalating it by responding back in anger
- Kind words heal and help;
cutting words wound and maim. v4 - it’s good to learn from the life experience of others
- don’t do anything (here, it’s pray) simply to impress others, but act from a genuine motivation
- don’t be a know it all. Because you don’t
- better to share a little in love than a lot grudgingly
- hot temper vs cool, calm spirit…we know the consequences. It’s not rocket science
- the right word at the right time is such a pleasure
- A greedy and grasping person destroys community;
those who refuse to exploit live and let live. v27
2. Attitude to life
- a misspent life is soon bankrupt
- God can’t stand us frittering away our lives
- A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face;
a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day. v13 - A miserable heart means a miserable life;
a cheerful heart fills the day with song. v15 - being lazy brings a load of consequences
- don’t treat life as a plaything. You only get one. Make sure you make the most of it
- A twinkle in the eye means joy in the heart,
and good news makes you feel fit as a fiddle. v30 - an undisciplined life will always stay really small
So what do I take from all that? A proverb of my own!
KEEP CALM AND LIVE LIFE TO THE FULL. AND DON’T FORGET TO SMILE!