Holy Women Bible Study lesson #09- Esther, A Woman of Temperance

In order to profit from this lesson please carefully read chapters 1-7 of Esther before answering the questions.

1) Describe King Ahasuerus.

2) Describe Esther.

3) Do you believe there is a connection between her maturity in responding to wise councel and her fruit of temperance? Explain (Esther 2:10, 15, 20).

4) How does knowing the will of God (4:14) help one control one's actions?

5) In what ways did Esther model victory over self-gratification (4:11-17)?

6) How did she exemplify control over her tongue (5:1-8; 7:1-6)?

7) What actions did Esther take to ensure self-control (5:1-8; 7:1-6)?

8) What benefits came out of her victory?

9) how did her temperance help others?

10) Titus 2 used the example of refusing wince when setting forth temperance. Can you name other areas, besides wine, that might entangle a woman's life?

11) Why is such self-control a requirement for teaching others?

12) Explain how some things which are good in themselves can be bad by misuse (Proverbs 24:13; 25:16,27).

Holy Women Bible Study lesson # 8- Speak with Kindness

Little member is what God calls the tongue, but great blessings and great evils flow therefrom.

1) The virtuous woman speaks with kindness (Proverbs 31:26).

  Discuss positive ways you can use your tongue from:

Psalms 34: 1-3            Proverbs 12:18

Proverbs 12:25          Proverbs 15:1

Proverbs 16:23-24

2) Give an example of someone who recently ministered to you with their speech. Explain why their words were so meaningful.

3) When it is impossible or impractical to overlook an offense, why is it best to talk directly to the party involved before discussing the matter with anyone else?

Proverbs 25:9-12                  Matthew 18:15

Luke 17:3-4

4) From the passages listed below, what is involved in being a wise reprover? 

Proverbs 9:8-9                    Proverbs 25:15

Galatians 6:1                      Ephesians 4:15

Colossians 4:6                    1 Samuel 25:23-25

5) Define flattery.

6) Why does someone flatter?

7) Why is it wrong according to 

Proverbs 12:2       Proverbs 12:17-19

Proverbs 26:28    Proverbs 29:5

8) Why does someone nag?

9) Describe the effects of nagging based on 

Proverbs 19:13              Proverbs 21:19

Proverbs 25:24

Holy Women Bible Study Lesson #7- Miriam, an unrestrained tongue

It is important that the student read Numbers 12: 1-15 at least three times before answering the questions.

1) How did Miriam want others to see herself and Aaron?

2) What lay at the root of Miriam's sin?

3) What statement in verse 2 is so often forgotten by those who gossip?

4) How did God view Moses (verses 3-9)?

5) How did God view the sin of Miriam (verses 9-14; Proverbs 6: 16-19; 1 Timothy 5:19-20)?

6) Why does God consider gossiping such a serious sin?

7) Comment upon Proverbs 11:9, Proverbs 16:28, Proverbs 17:9, Proverbs 17:20, Proverbs 26: 20-23

8) Can you think of a situation where you have been personally hurt by gossip?

9) Can you think of a situation where you have hurt another with gossip?

10) Did you learn anything from the two experiences? Explain.

11) What effect did Miriam's sin have on the others (verse 15)?

12) How can you help stop gossip according to Proverbs 14:15, Proverbs 15:28, Proverbs 17: 27-28, Proverbs 18:13, James 3:2-18.

13) How does giving ear to gossip make one a partaker of the evil deed?

Holy Women Bible Study lesson # 6- Mary and Martha, Cumbered vs. Contented

Look over Luke 10: 38-42 at least three times before answering the questions.

1) in the passage at hand two sisters desire to please Jesus. Why is Mary praised?

2) Why is Martha rebuked?

3) How might Martha have been different if she had taken time to listen to Jesus before she served?

4) What charge did Martha make against Jesus in verse 40?

5) Have you ever felt this way under the pressures of daily work? Explain.

6) What charge did Martha make against Mary in verse 40?

7) Discuss how our self-love leads us into bad attitudes toward others?

8) What does verse 40 teach about the prayers of one whose perspective is faulty?

9) define cumbered 

10) Are you ever in this condition? Why?

11) How can you serve more like Mary?

12) How does Jesus describe true servitude in Mark 10: 42-45?

13) Relate this description to the passages in Titus and Proverbs 31 from earlier lessons.

14) Can you think of a situation in your life where effective service came after spiritual worship?

Life Update

Just letting people know on here that I have set up a sewing Facebook page called Katie's Kreations where you can see all my patterns and rates for sewing. Also i have just completed a music CD of live recordings of hymns I have sung at my church. If you'd like a copy of it please let me know. 

Careful For Nothing

I often struggle with allowing my thoughts to become worrisome of things I can not change or control. I was reading a devotional this evening and it struck me that it was dealing with that very topic and I wanted to share.

"Be careful for nothing; but in everthing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." (Philippians 4:6)

   Many of us know those types of precious people who seem to thrive on making sure the details are right. They keep us careful, insure our safety, and strengthen our plans, and yet that same strength can lead to anxiety, troubling our souls and dominating our lives. Our verse today warns us about this facet.

Our Lord gently admonished in Luke 10:41: "Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things." Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazurus were longtime associates of the Lord Jesus. He had spent many hours in their home and had come to love them as close friends. No doubt Martha had often "given thought" to Christ's visits and had been "in turmoil" over the details many times. But our gracious Lord saw the circumstances controlling Martha, and He softly insisted that she not lose the thing of greatest value by sacrificing the permanent on the altar of the immediate.

And that is the admonition in our text. Nothing should absorb us so much that we attempt to solve things on our own before submitting our requests to our Lord. Jesus made it pretty clear: "Take no thought for your life, what ye shall put on" (Matthew 6:25). Look around, our Lord insisted. The birds and the flowers can't be altered by our "thoughts." 

After all that Job's friends did to "encourage" him, our great Creator reminded Job of the many wonders that he could see if he paid attention. Nothing is beyond the care of our Lord. Sometimes, we need reminding too.

Holy Women: Bible Study lesson #5- Hannah, The Fear Of the Lord

Sorry folks. Seems I get slack when it comes to these long studies...

               Every nation stumbles and falls when its people lose proper reverence for God. While He condescends to redeem fallen man, we should never fail to own Him as "the High and Lofty One."

1) Read Psalms 31:19; Psalms 111:10; Psalms 112:1; Psalms 147:11; and Proverbs 8:13 and then write a paragraph defining the fear of the Lord.

2) Next to the following life situations write "p" if you have battled them in the past or "c" if you are battling them currently. For those in the past, how did God grant the victory?

age

health

physical appearance

children or lack of them

relatives or in-laws

lack of ability

spouse or lack of one

station in life

death of a loved one

finances

3) How did Job, the righteous man who suffered innocently, respond to his trials (Job 23:1-12)? What result came out of his suffering (Job 42:12)?

4) Sometimes God uses suffering to deal with His children who are not following Him or fearing Him. Why does he allow trial in the case of disobedient believers (Jeremiah 24: 5-7; 29:11-14; 31:10-14)?

5) In each of the following situations, explain how trials can result in God's glory, our benefit and the benefit of others:

grief  2Corinthians 1:3-4

trials  James 1:2-4

troubles  2Corinthians 4:16-18

illness  2 Corinthians 12:7-10

persecutions 1 Peter 4:12-14

6) Write of an incident in your life where personal difficulty brought about special glory to the Lord.

Holy Women: Bible Study lesson #4- Hannah, A Tried Woman

Lesson #4

Hannah, A Tried Woman

Very close examination of 1 Samuel chapter 1 is recommended before answering the questions.

1) From verses 1-8 describe Hannah's conflict.

2) Who was responsible for her condition?

3) How does God use hardships to bring blessing into our lives?

4) How did Hannah first respond to her condition (vv.6-7)?

5) Can you think of a conflict in your own life that affected you in a simular way? Explain.

6) What did she finally do to overcome her bitterness (vv.9-19)?

7)What principles can we learn from Hannah's prayer (v.11)?

8)Describe the changes in Hannah's attitude toward the Lord, and toward her husband (1:19- 2:1).

9) List some benefits that Hannah experienced as a result of her victory in dealing with her problem of barrenness (1:27-28; 2:20-21; 3:19-21).

10) In light of 1 Samuel 2:17, how do you think Hannah would have reacted at this point if she still did not conceive? Explain.

11) Apply each of the following verses to Hannah's life, and to your own life.

Proverbs 9:10

Proverbs 15:33

Proverbs 22:4

Revelation 14:7

12)Hannah voluntarily surrendered her most valuable possession to the Lord. Who benefited from this surrender and in what ways?

13) Is there something God has asked you to surrender that is not yet yeilded to Him? Write out the reasons why.