HER: BECOMING THAT’S HER. A like her? What makes her so ...lifeway.s3.amazonaws.com/samples/edoc/005387855_SMPL_01.pdf · This week’s study of Proverbs 31 will focus on wisdom.

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THAT’S HER. Why can’t I look like her? Why do they all like her? What makes her so special?

You hear about her all the time. Who is she anyway?

She’s not a celebrity or the most popular girl at school. The Her we’re talking about is the Proverbs 31 woman, a girl after God’s own heart.

This journal will guide you to dig into Scripture on your own and learn what it means to be a godly woman. This nine-week study is designed to help you examine the character traits of the Proverbs 31 woman, then put them into practice in your own life. If you want to lead other girls through this powerful study, there’s a guide to help you. You’ll also find a few conversation starters and ideas in the back of this book to help you connect with your mom over what you’re learning. This study will help you be the woman God has called you to be.

Because He sees Her in you!

BECOMING A PROVERBS 31 GIRLEmily Cole

BECOMING A PROVERBS 31 GIRLby Emily Cole

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© 2011 LifeWay Press®

Reprinted 2012, 2013

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in writing to LifeWay Press®, One LifeWay Plaza, Nashville, TN 37234-0144.

ISBN: 978-1-4158-7005-1Item 005387855

Dewey Decimal Classification Number: 248.83Subject Heading: CHRISTIAN LIFE \ GIRLS \

BIBLE. O.T. PROVERBS--STUDY

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We believe that the Bible has God for its author; salvation for its end; and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter and that all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. The 2000 statement of The Baptist Faith and Message is our

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All Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®, copyright 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

contents

Author’s Note . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

WEEK 1: The Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

WEEK 2: Being Trustworthy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

WEEK 3: Buckle Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

WEEK 4: Smart and Strong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

WEEK 5: Love for Others . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

WEEK 6: Not Anxious about the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

WEEK 7: The Right Kind of Guy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

WEEK 8: Wise Words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

WEEK 9: Appreciated . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139

Teaching Plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .156

With Your Mom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

Our primary purpose as Christians is to glorify God. So

my question is: Are you glorifying God in everything

you do? My prayer is that you would be a godly young

woman. I want you to be a young woman who understands what is

truly important in this life. I also want to see you seek the Lord, reject

wrong and harmful behavior, point others toward Him with your

actions and your words, and make a difference in this world for His

kingdom. The woman portrayed in Proverbs 31 is a great example

for us. I hope you learn as much as I did about being a godly woman

during your own study of Her.

—Emily

INTRODUCTION

That’s her. Why can’t I look like her? What makes her so special? I want to be like her.

You hear about her all the time. Who is she anyway? In this book, the Her we’re referring to is the woman in Proverbs 31.

But it’s also you. We want you to see in yourself the seeds God has planted for you to

become a young woman who knows Him, owns her faith in Him, and makes Him known. After all, He sees Her in you.

HOW TO USE THIS STUDY:

Each week you will study a different section of Proverbs 31. You will begin with an overall introduction to that week’s theme. On the first day of each week, you’ll study a part of Proverbs 31 in depth. Then, you’ll discover more about the principle to be learned in that section of Scripture by looking at that topic elsewhere in the Bible throughout the rest of the week's study. There’s a memory verse to learn each week, a lot of questions for you to think about, and plenty for you to journal about in this book. I hope that each day of this study you get a little closer to being Her . . . the godly young woman God created you to be!

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week 1the basics

Who can find a capable wife?

She is far more precious than jewels.

—Proverbs 31:10

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INTRODUCTION TO WEEK 1

Proverbs 31 was written as a poem of instruction for young men. The writer was telling young men about the qualities they should look for in a wife. Many of you probably hope to be someone’s wife one day. Don’t you think it’s important to know some qualities that all guys worth marrying are looking for in the woman they want to marry?

It’s kind of like knowing the questions before you go in for a test. When you’ve studied and know the material, then taking the test—and doing well—is a whole lot easier than if you hadn't prepared. (But don’t hear me say that taking a test or deciding whom to marry is easy!)

Even if you’re not interested in getting married someday or already know God has called you to a life of singleness, Proverbs 31 isn’t a chapter of Scripture you should skip. The verses describe the characteristics of a godly woman, and there are lessons for you within them. If you want to be a woman after God’s own heart, the kind of woman He honors, Proverbs 31 is a good place to start.

Before you give up on trying to measure up to the Proverbs 31 woman, understand that the woman described in the proverb we’ll study isn’t real; she’s an embodiment of every good quality in a woman. You should strive to be like her, but you don't have to try to do everything she managed to do.

THIS WEEK’S THEME

This week’s study of Proverbs 31 will focus on wisdom. You’ll discover what it is, why you need it, how to ask for it, and how to live wisely. The Proverbs are wisdom literature, as are the books of Job, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. “Wisdom literature” is basically just a term used to describe a genre of writing used in Old Testament times to offer insight about life and how to live. It is usually characterized by sayings that teach about God, virtue, and life itself.

So what about you? Do you desire wisdom? Do you want to know that you’re making the right decision? Look up James 1:5. What does it say?

“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.” —James 1:5

In James 1:5, we are told that “if we lack wisdom, we should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing,” and it will be given to us! So even if you’ve asked before, you may not be feeling very wise or capable of making wise decisions right now. That’s OK! One of the ways we know how to make wise decisions is by studying the Bible. When we see how others handled situations and how God worked through them, it can be a little easier to know what to do in the situations we face.

That’s why during this Bible study you’re going to get into the Word. You’re going to dig into Scripture. You’ll have Scripture to read each day and questions to journal about. You’re going to be asked to wrestle with the Word of God and what it means to be a Proverbs 31 kind of girl. Ultimately, you will walk away from this study with a better knowledge of the Bible and a better understanding of the incredible God we worship.

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And because this study is also a journal, you’ll have a written record of what you learned and what God did in your life to look back on when being a Proverbs 31 girl seems next to impossible.

FIRST THINGS FIRST

You’ve read the Bible before, right? Since it wasn’t originally written in English, some of the things that make it beautiful were lost in translation. However, one of those literary devices is preserved in the passage we’ll study. Proverbs 31 is a wisdom poem, and it’s written as an acrostic in chiastic structure.

Now, you know what a poem is, and you likely know what an acrostic is. (For example, taking your name and coming up with a word that describes you, beginning with each letter in your name.) But this proverb, written in Hebrew, originally started each verse with a successive letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Even more impressive is the writer’s ability to work that acrostic into a chiastic structure. A chiasmus (or something written in chiastic structure) is a literary device in which words, grammatical constructions, or ideas are given once and then repeated in reverse order. Sound complicated? It’s really not. A simple example would be “I eat to live while she lives to eat.” But in this passage, you’ll find that the chiasmus looks like this:

A: The value of a good wife (v. 10)B: Wife benefits husband (vv. 11-12)

C: Wife works hard (vv. 13-19)D: Wife reaches out to poor (v. 20)

E: No worry of weather (v. 21a)F: Family clothed in quality goods (v. 21b)

G: Wife creates clothing and material out of fine fabric (v. 22)

H: Husband is publicly respected (v. 23)G: Wife sells clothing and material made of fine

fabric (v. 24)F: Wife clothed in strength and honor (v. 25a)

E: No worry about the future (v. 25b)D: Wife reaches out with wisdom (v. 26)

C: Wife works hard (v. 27)B: Wife benefits the family, who praise her (v. 28-29)

A: The value of a good wife (v. 31)

Ready to dive into week one? Let’s get into the basics of wisdom.

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day 1

Introducing the Proverbs 31 womanLet’s start off by reading the Proverb we’ll be studying. Read Proverbs 31, beginning with verse 10.

❊ What stood out to you about the woman?

❊ What surprised you about her?

❊ What did you like about her?

❊ What didn’t you like?

❊ Why do you think her husband married her?

Focus on verse 10 for a moment. In what ways would a woman be more precious than jewels to her husband?

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GOING DEEPER:

Over the next several weeks we’re going to learn a lot from this woman: being trustworthy, working hard with diligence and excellence, showing concern for others, being prepared, marrying wisely, controlling what comes out of our mouths, loving and respecting our families, and fearing the Lord. Each week we’ll tackle a few verses from Proverbs 31 and many others throughout the Bible to see the truths God has for us. It is those truths that will help shape us into the women God wants us to be.

So think about it: What do you hope to get out of this Bible study? What characteristics do you want to embody at the end? If parts of your life are not pleasing to God, how do you want them to be different when you finish this Bible study? Journal about that in the space provided. Be specific. You may even want to write your thoughts as a prayer of commitment.

WEEKLY MEMORY VERSE:

“Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging

sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. An indecisive man is unstable

in all his ways.” —James 1:5-8

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