1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18 Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

we are always looking for God's will for us.. here is a clear piece of it that we rarely even notice... 

God wants us to be joyful... how many people do we know walking through life completely miserable ? this is not God's will.. the scripture states God wants us to be joyful.. we can walk through difficult life's circumstances without being miserable.. it is a mindset... sure we will be sad occassionally.. but that does not have to be a way of life.. that is a decision we are making.. or not making.. 

God wants us to never stop praying... how often do we stop praying about something because we can't see any change? probably more often than we would like to admit.. I know myself sometimes I feel God doesn't even hear me.. so why bother to continue.. God wants us to stick it out.. continue to pray until the breakthrough comes in one direction or the other.. 

God wants us to be thankful in all situations.. this is the issue with the joyful.. if we are not thankful in spite of situations it makes it hard to be joyful... joy comes from within.. thankful comes from within.. both sides are a decision we make in how we look at our lives.. we can be thankful just to be alive and know God has better for us one day... we can be thankful to no longer be in a situation we were in before.. we can be thankful that our sin did not condemn us to death but God continued to love us and save us for eternity.... 

these are a piece of God's will for our lives...

proverbs 11: 12 It is foolish to belittle one’s neighbor; a sensible person keeps quiet. 13 A gossip goes around telling secrets,  but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.

at night I have an app that reads the bible to me.. this was read to me last night.. 

it got me thinking.. I have someone in my life right now that never talks down about anyone.. he is amazing to me... I have never known someone who didn't say bad things about anyone.. he is teaching me to do better in this area.. I am sure it is hard work for him... the bible says that it is sensible to keep quiet.. yet how often are we quiet? seems we often talk just to fill the silence.. for no good purpose.. I desire to truly down in my heart accept that it is good to just be quiet.. 

in the past I was a horrible gossip.. I had a circle of friends and I would talk to one after another telling them all the same stories.. ridiculous.. the men in my life hated this about me.. 

then over time I started having less girlfriends.. I find that now I am friendly with many people but keep confidence with very few.. and I am thankful for that change in my life.. I am now a trustworthy person.. this is very important to me now.. 

we don't really read the bible.. if we did we would be convicted every single time we open it.. proverbs is so down to earth.. totally talking about our day to day life and how we should and should not act.. yet we rarely even open God's word for anything other than us wanting Him to do something for us.. we are always looking for promises but not for conviction.. I thank God for conviction today to make me a better person.. 

Ephesians 5: 33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

I look at this and wonder why the husband is to love the wife and the wife to respect the husband... why wouldn't we both love one another?

yesterday I was talking to someone and I realized I respect them.. I think highly of them.. I think women too often don't respect men.. we love them.. but not respect them.. then we tend to mother them and baby them and don't allow them to be the leader they are called to be in the home.. 

we love a man but don't think highly of him.. don't honor him or treat him with respect.. I know in the past I have been so guilty of this.. 

because I was in an abusive relationship I tended to fear men without even realizing I was doing this.. that made me appear argumentative and aggressive... when you respect someone you are able to trust their judgement over what you think is right.. you can allow them to make a decision because you know their heart is right.. even when they make mistakes.. 

we need to learn what respect is and learn how to respect others.. this is surely a downfall in our world today... definitely has been a downfall in my own relationships.. 

1 John 3: 16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters.

I have been thinking about this for 2 days now.. 

in this day.. people are so self motivated... we are constantly protecting ourselves.. we don't feel the need to be anyone's help.. we don't feel we 'owe' anyone anything.. I saw someone who is a minister and considered a life coach yesterday state that not everyone that has a need is your assignment... I am wondering what biblical principle or scripture such a thought would be grounded in.. 

the bible I read says that Jesus was a servant to all.. that is what he wanted the disciples to be.. what he wants us to be.. the only time he said it was okay to walk away from someone is when they were not receptive to the word of God.. 

when are we going to be willing to die to self and walk our lives out completely for God? when are we going to stop worrying about what we feel and want and think and instead walk for the furthering of God's kingdom rather than our own?

now don't imagine I think this is easy.. I am very much in a battle with self and my own desires.. but because of my love for Christ I try to continue to do what I believe is his will over my own.. 

this is a daily battle.. a daily commitment to God.. not self.. 

I am concerned about those who are always trying to do what is easy and comfortable.. that does not sound like Jesus to me.. 

2 Corinthians 5: 14-15 Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

I read this and I am saddened... 

I really want to do God's will.. 

but some days the desire for what I want seems so overwhelming.... 

Christ died so that I am not a slave to my desires.. so why do they seem to be screaming out to me sometimes??

why isn't it easier to just live God's will and be dead to what I really want for myself?

I don't know the answers to any of this... these are just my feelings... while I may not be outwardly doing the things that I want to do.. I still want to.. strongly... I wonder as I lie awake in my bed why God doesn't intervene and give me part of what I want so that I can live without the rest of what I want... I don't know the answer to that either.. 

what I do know is that I wake each morning and ask God to keep me on His path for my life.. to protect me and help me to do His will.. and to overcome the desires that seem to eat me alive.. 

that is the best I can do for right now.. 

in the devotional charles goodman has us reading.. it is talking about the walk to the cross for Jesus and as you read it.. you just realize everything we are so concerned about is just sides.. the important part is our walk with him... he gave up everything for us... 

I think about peter and his fall... I think about the people who were on the sidelines shouting for Jesus to be crucified.. idk how they could do that.. 

while compassion is not my strength.. I also can't stand to see someone or something hurt and in pain... 

I realize.. I may have fallen like peter did.. I may have denied him if I felt my life was in danger over it.. but I am very sure that I would not have been part of the crowd shouting crucify him... I could not see his pain and not feel compassion at that moment... 

I think about judas and how this all played out.. I don't imagine he thought this would be the end.. I think he was stupid and greedy and thinking of the 30 pieces of silver but not imagining that he was the one that actually started the motion of sending Jesus to the cross and death.. I think he thought Jesus would be beat and let go or something more like that... surely not death... 

the bible says about judas that satan entered him and that is when he made the deal with the church leaders... how many times has satan entered us and caused us to do things that hurt others... 

I am very reflective of the price Jesus paid for me to have life this morning.. 

Romans 15: 13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I can remember a time when I felt truly hopeless.. that is a terrible state to be in.. I had no hope for anything in my life.. I was negative and truly miserable.. 

as I committed to reading the word of God over time my attitude changed and my negative thoughts were replaced with hope.. 

now for me.. hope doesn't always think that what you want to happen will happen.. sometimes hope just thinks that this is not going to kill me and I am going to make it through this... 

I can say that I am happier now than I have ever been in my life.. I am not negative.. now I don't know what will happen in some situations in my life.. I have had what I thought were promises from God that still have not come to pass.. which I don't know if I was mistaken or if they just haven't happened yet... what I do know is that God has been very good to me.. and my life is good.. great even.. and I am truly thankful.. 

I know that all I have.. all that I am.. all that will ever be.. has come from God..