Tag: bible study

What is Love?
Lifestyle

What is Love?

LauraJoli LookingJoliGood1 Comment

I read this devotional this morning and enjoyed it so much that I wanted to share it with you.

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
1 Corinthians 13:4‭-‬7

Rooted in Love

“According to Jesus, love of God and neighbor are the greatest commandments (Matthew 22:36-39). Indeed, He said that “‘All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments’” (Matthew 22:40). In other words, every other commandment is in some way a commandment to love. One should not covet, for example, because that would not be an act of love toward one’s neighbor.
Our verse for today lists four characteristics of Godly love.
First, love bears all things. The person who truly loves God and neighbor should not be easily offended or hurt. Love puts up with things. It does not allow perceived slights and offenses, from God or people, to easily get to us and undermine our love.
Second, love believes all things. That is, the person of love always thinks the best of God and neighbor. With respect to God, love does not attribute wrong motives and intentions to what God says. With respect to neighbors, love is not overly suspicious of what people say. This does not mean that love is naïve. After all, the Bible also says that we should “test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (I John 4:1). But it does mean that we should not be quick to suspect the worst of our neighbors.
Third, love hopes all things. With respect to God, this means that love trusts that God will fulfill His promises and that He will bring His glorious plan of redemption to complete fulfillment. With respect to neighbors, this means that love expects the best of people and believes that they can change for the better with the help of the Lord.
Finally, love endures all things. If we are to truly love God and neighbor, then we should not easily give up on love. No matter what happens to us – trials, troubles, tribulations, offenses, hurts, wounds – we should not cease to love. Sometimes God allows things to happen that we may not like or understand and sometimes people do things that wound us or hurt us in some way. The person of love continues to love and endures these things.
The two greatest commandments are great because they are central to what human existence is all about. Everything we say and do is governed by them. Today, and every day, therefore, let love reign.”

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WhyHer Nicki Koziarz | lookingjoligood.blog Is Her Gain Your Loss?
Lifestyle

Is Her Gain Your Loss?

LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Romans 12:15

I mentioned in posts recently that I have been teaching a Bible study at my church from the book by Nicki Koziarz Why Her? 6 Truths You Need to Hear When Measuring Up leaves you Falling Behind.

Spending time preparing for the study, as well as spending time with the ladies that attend the study has made a big impact on my life!

This book has so many great truths in it. One of the truths that Nicki shares is “Her Gain Is Not Your Loss”

“Pride convinces us that if someone else wins, we somehow lose. But God wants us to know that if “she” wins we all win. HIs promises are for everyone, helping us all work together for a greater purpose. A greater purpose than what we could do alone. Pride tells us God NEEDS us, being promise-filled reminds us that God WANTS us.

The more we know others are with us, the more confident we can be in ourselves. That is how we can start to see…
Her gain is MY gain.
Her loss is MY loss.
Her win is MY win.
Her sorrow is MY sorrow

A confident trust in God’s promises will give us perspective to see that if others win, it does not cause us to lose.
When God reveals something to us, it releases a responsibility within us to do something.”

WhyHer Nicki Koziarz | lookingjoligood.blog

Excerpt from Why Her? 6 Truths You Need to Hear When Measuring Up leaves you Falling Behind by Nicki Koziarz

Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.
Romans 12:15

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.

WhyHer Nicki Koziarz | lookingjoligood.blog Losing Who You Are Trying To Become Someone You Aren’t
Lifestyle

Losing Who You Are Trying To Become Someone You Aren’t

LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

In measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves to themselves, they lack understanding.
2 Corinthians 10:12

I mentioned in a post recently that I have been teaching a Bible study at my church using the book by Nicki Koziarz Why Her? 6 Truths You Need to Hear When Measuring Up leaves you Falling Behind.

Spending time preparing for the study, as well as spending time with the ladies that attend the study has made a big impact on my life!  This book has so many great truths in it. One of the first truths that Nicki shares is  “You Need to Be Honest”. Here are a few highlights that made an impression on me.

“Honesty teaches us to stop fearing what we don’t have so we can see what we do.

We often lose who we are while trying to become someone we aren’t.

Honesty can lead us to quiet places where we seek to understand rather than merely react.

You most likely won’t be broadcasting your biggest comparison struggles on Facebook tomorrow. But we all have a place—a place that frequently makes us see ourselves as less-than in comparison to someone else. A place where we feel the most intimidated, perhaps a place that goes back to something deeply rooted in our lives. Something rarely shared because we love to shout our successes but seldom show our secret sorrows.
But the more honest we can become about these areas that threaten our souls the most, the sooner we’ll feel empowered enough to escape this comparison chase. So let’s start by being honest right here, starting with the one verse that uncovered this whole struggle in me. Honesty through the filter of God’s Word brings an understanding that goes beyond our capacity.”WhyHer Nicki Koziarz | lookingjoligood.blog

Excerpt from Why Her? 6 Truths You Need to Hear When Measuring Up leaves you Falling Behind by Nicki Koziarz

2 Corinthians 10:12
In measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves to themselves, they lack understanding.

 

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram,  Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.

WhyHer Nicki Koziarz | lookingjoligood.blog Turning Off the Noise and Getting Quiet
Lifestyle

Turning Off the Noise and Getting Quiet

LauraJoli LookingJoliGood1 Comment

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
Psalms 46:10

Since around this time last year, I have been teaching a Bible study at my church.  It is one of my favorite things to do to serve in my church.  Spending time preparing for the study, as well as spending time with the ladies that attend the study has made a big impact on my life!

The last few months we have been doing our study from the book by Nicki Koziarz Why Her? 6 Truths You Need to Hear When Measuring Up leaves you Falling Behind.  This book has so many great truths in it.  I have learned so much in preparing for the study each week.  I love it when God uses different ways to give us just what we need to hear.

WhyHer-SS-templates

“I’m amazed at how much our culture resists quiet. Most of our days are spent managing noise—noise from others, noise from our technology, noise from our inner thoughts.

Sometimes it feels like there’s so much going on in my head that I can’t even hear myself think, let alone hear God. When it seems like God is quiet, we need to get quiet.

When my soul is giving me a clue that it’s not well, even just getting quiet and still for a few moments helps me recognize where I’m struggling.

When it seems like God is quiet, we need to get quiet.”

Ps 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

Excerpt from Why Her? 6 Truths You Need to Hear When Measuring Up leaves you Falling Behind by Nicki Koziarz

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram,  Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.