Knowledge




The gift of knowledge helps us to be certain that God cares for us. It calls us to live a life of loving actions wherever we are at home, in school, on the basketball court, at the mall, or with friends. Knowledge shows us how the truths of our faith give direction to our lives. We come together to share our faith. For example, a coach who helps his team "hang in" and do their best even when they have a losing season knows it is important to teach good sportsmanship. Knowledge allows us to see the circumstances of our life as God sees them, though in a more limited way because we're human. Through the exercise of knowledge, we can figure out God's purpose in our lives, judge what is truth, and figure out His reason for placing us in our particular situations.

The song we listened to this week for knowledge was "Jesus Take the Wheel" by Carrie Underwood. For this week, please answer the following:

1. You've heard, "Hindsight is 20/20." This particular saying is referring to knowledge.

a. Name a particular time in your past when you were confused as to why things were occurring in a particular manner. It might have lead to confusion or frustration. However, as time passed, you understood and came to understand the "cloud's silver-lining," and God's purpose became very clear.

b. Even though the situation might have been seen as a negative experience, what positive lesson was learned?

2. What current difficult situation do you find yourself in to where you pray for the gift of knowledge?

3. If you were to have dinner with Jesus, what would you ask him?

23 comments:

  1. 1.
    a) A time in my past where I was confused why certain thing were happening was when a string of unlucky events happened to me. I understood that God's purpose was clear because I figured out that in my life I will always have tough times. If I can get through them it will all be okay. I realized that in the end, things will get better.

    b) Even though it was a negative experience I realized that things will get better on the end. I realized that there are going to be hard times in life. If I persevere through them, than things will always be better in the long run.

    2. A difficult situation where I ask for the gift of knowledge is when I am being peer pressured. I want to make the right decision, so I ask God to help me. I want God to guide me through that tough situation and help me.

    3. If I had dinner with Jesus I would ask him how to have better decision making. I want to have better decision making because there are going to be times where you have to make hard decisions. I would want to know what the right decision is.

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  2. 1)
    a. A time in my past when I was confused as to why things were occurring in a particular manner was when, I joined into an activity that required a lot of time and effort. At first, i was confused and frustrated because things were happening in a certain way and I did not understand why. As time passed, I soon came to figure that there was a reason why it was done like that and that if you are patient with the things that you are given, you will see how God has a plan and things will get better.

    b. Even though it seemed like a negative experience, i soon understood that if you take the time to listen and focus on the subject, it will seem much more clear and fun in the outcome of it. I also learned that God is always there for you even when things get rough. It is also important to never give up and have courage if you are struggling with something.

    2) Currently, a situation that seems the most difficult where I may need to ask for the gift of knowledge is at a volleyball game. It is sometimes hard to tell where the ball is coming and what move I will make when it comes to me. I feel like if I mess up on a bump, set, or spike it may cause pressure on myself which is why i ask for knowledge of how and what moves/decisions I am going to make on the court, even though I know God will be with me the whole way.

    3) If i were to have dinner with Jesus, I would ask him a lot of things. One thing is I would ask how to have better forgiveness when something/someone makes me mad. A second thing would be, how to stay calm in a scary situation when it is hard to calm down. Finally, I think I would ask Jesus how to show better humility towards others.

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  3. I was struggling to understand Gods plan when I was having a hard time in school. I wondered why God had not helped me out of it or guided me to better grades. As I look back at the situation now I realized that when I was struggling in school I learned new study strategies to help me.

    The positive lesson that I learned is that God will always be there to help me no matter what. He has a plan and will help guide me to him. He is always there helping us.

    I need to pray for the gift of knowledge when dealing with stress from school and other things. I need to have knowledge so I can deal with the situation in a good way. Knowledge will help me to deal with all situations.

    I would ask him to help guide me. I would ask him to help me stay on a path to God. I would ask him that so that I can end up on the path to heaven and have him with me every step of the way.

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  4. 1.
    A time in my past when I was confused as to why things were occurring in a particular manner was when, I tried to talk to God and I couldn't hear him. I wanted to know why he was't talking to me. As if i wasn't important.
    I realized that I have to believe without seeing or hearing. I have to look for the little ways God shows us he is there for us and not expect or think we deserve more then we do.

    Someone I know has been doing some things that confuse me and make me angry. I don't understand why they are doing this but I am trying to walk in their shoes and understand why they are doing these things.

    I would ask Jesus how he endured so much pain without getting angry or wanting revenge. How he managed to have faith and be kind through everything he went through.

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  5. 1.
    a) A time that I was confused and frustrated about something in my life was when I screwed up my ankle. I was so upset that I had to have a boot and crutches, and I had to sit in the audience to watch nationals, something I was going to do. I was confused as to why God had this happen to me, especially at the timing it happened.
    b) Even though it was a very hard experience, I learned never to take anything for granted. Before, I just was at dance and did it because I loved it, but didn't necessarily do it 110%. Now I make sure to put in all the effort, because you never know when it canoe taken away.

    2. This is definitely something I have been struggling with lately, I have someone who is very close to me, and sometimes I struggle to understand why they do they things that they do, and act a certain way in different circumstances. I should start to pray for knowledge to understand what they are going through.

    3. If I were at dinner with Jesus I would probably ask a lot of dumb questions, but the main questions I would ask are, what was is like in his youth, because we don't hear about that a lot. I would also ask if I should do anything different to get into heaven successfully.







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  6. 1.
    a. I was so confused when God took the life away from my aunt. I always knew people die and feel bad for the people who lost their loved ones, but being the one is so hard. much harder to describe in words. I was so confused and so frustrated at the time and always asked the question "why?" Although people say "Oh, it's because God needs them more up there.." no one knows why. So if and when you are in those hard times where all you ask is why, trust God because he is always there for you and watching over you because he loves you.

    b. I have learned to always be there for others. You never know how someone truly feels until you go through the same thing. I have also learned that you can't regret anything when you lose someone. If you feel like you didn't talk to them as much as you should of, don't get yourself down. God knows we are all busy and make mistakes so you can't be unhappy with yourself if God is happy with you.

    2. I am dealing with things right now like if someone says something that I didn't like, I have to be calm and listen to them and I can't always be the one talking. I also don't know what to do sometimes because I have friends that don't like the friends I like, so who do I be friends with or listen to? I also have situations where people talk to me and act like they like me but turn around and talk about me. So I need to have knowledge to know how to solve my "problems."

    3. I would ask him how to deal with people. I think it would be important to ask him that because he does it all the time. I would also ask him how about heaven and what it's like because I would love to know.

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  7. 1) A- I was confused when nothing was going my way. I was supposed to go to Florida over the summer with my friend, but he got sick the day before and we couldn't go. Then the next day I spilled soda all over me. Then more unlucky things kept happening to me. But, I still had faith in God and trusted him.

    1) B- A positive lesson I learned when this happened is to look at the positive things. As my Grandma used to tell me, what if I did go on the trip to Florida and something way worse happened to me or someone else.

    2) A situation I am in right now is the passing away of my grandma. It is hard to trust in God sometimes, but I try to calm down and have faith in him and pray. It is really difficult but I know God and my grandma are always by my side everywhere i go.

    3) If I was to have dinner with Jesus I would ask him many things. One being how he never wanted to get revenge at the people that hurt him and called him names, and how he could just forgive them. Another would be how he never gave up. He always had faith and never doubted God.

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  8. 1.
    a. I was struggling to understand God’s plan when I was having trouble with some tests in school. I was confused about why God had not helped to get better grades. I realized his purpose was to show me that not all things are just handed straight to you.

    b. There are a few positive things I’ve learned from this. I’ve learned that we have to work hard to succeed. Nothing is just handed to us. I have to try harder in some subjects than in certain subjects

    2. A difficult situation where I ask for the gift of knowledge is when someone gets mad at me and stays mad even though I apologize. I need to pray for the gift of knowledge so I can move on and just let them be mad because I know that I tried.

    3. If I was to have dinner with Jesus, I would ask a few things. I would ask him how he got through hard times. Second, I would ask him how he always knew what was the right thing. Finally, I would ask him what he did when he was confused about what to do.

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  9. This is Audrey Sandhaus
    1. You've heard, "Hindsight is 20/20." This particular saying is referring to knowledge.

    a. A particular time in my past when I were confused as to why things were occurring in a particular manner was when I wanted to hang out at home with my dad, stepmom, and brothers, but we had something we had to do that night when Sarah said we could still spend time together there. I was upset because I doubted that we would really spend any actual time together,so I got mad. However, as time passed, I understood and came to understand the "cloud's silver-lining," and God's purpose became very clear, that just because we weren't at home, meant that we could still spend time with everyone else instead of being selfish and wanting to spend time with just my family.

    b. I learned that even though I wanted to be with just my family, I could learn to share they time I get with my family with others. A positive thing that I learned was that even though I was selfish, I don't need to be. No matter what, they will always come back and love me.
    2. A difficult situation would be when someone is mad at me and instead of forcing them to forgive me and maybe even make them even more mad, I pray to God. I pray asking him to tell me when to stop fighting and when to tell me what I need to do to give him/her to forgive me. I want to know if they need time or space or both or maybe something else entirely.

    3. If I were to have dinner with Jesus, I would ask, how can I be granted to Heaven and eternal life with you. I'd ask what does it truly mean to be a follower of you. Will you tell me a parable corresponding with being a follower? Will you teach me?

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  10. A time in my past where I was confused why certain thing were happening was when a string of unlucky events happened to me. I understood that God's purpose was clear because I figured out that in my life I will always have tough times. If I can get through them it will all be okay. I realized that in the end, things will get better.

    b) Even though it was a negative experience I realized that things will get better on the end. I realized that there are going to be hard times in life. If I persevere through them, than things will always be better in the long run.

    2. A difficult situation where I ask for the gift of knowledge is when I am being peer pressured. I want to make the right decision, so I ask God to help me. I want God to guide me through that tough situation and help me.

    3. If I had dinner with Jesus I would ask him how to have better decision making. I want to have better decision making because there are going to be times where you have to make hard decisions. I would want to know what the right decision is.

    2. A situation where I pray for the gift of knowledge is when I with my friends we sometimes do stupid things. I ask God for the gift of knowledge for my friends and I.

    3. If I were to have dinner with Jesus, I would ask how to get through hard times. I would also ask for help in tough situations and to help me do the right things. I would ask for him to forgive me of all the things Ive done.

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  11. 1.
    a) I was so confused when I was told that my dog had passed away. This was several years ago and I was young, but I remember thinking why it had to be my dog that died. About a week later, my family and I went on our vacation. I got sick while we were on vacation. I wondered why the past few weeks I've had bad luck. I didn't lose my faith or trust in God even though these bad things happened. I realized his purpose was that everyone goes through tough times.

    b) A positive lesson I learned was that everyone goes through a tough time because it only makes the person stronger.

    2. A difficult situation I am currently going through is talking to people I don't really like. I know I have to be nice to everyone, but it's not always easy. I have to pray for the gift of knowledge so that if they say something I don't agree with or like how they treat me, I remember to stay calm and know that I have to be nice.

    3. If I were to have dinner with Jesus, I would ask him what I could change to act more like him and how to put up with tough situations and people I don't like.

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  12. 1.
    A time in my life when I was confused why things were happening to me was when issues in my life just kept coming and it was horrible. I soon realized that God has a plan for us and we would never give me something I couldn't handle.

    A positive lesson I learned was that you should never give up. Even when you feel like life is hard there is always a positive thing in the situation. God would never give you something you couldn't handle.

    2. Someone I thought who I knew said and did somethings that I can't understand why, That is why I need understanding. I want God to help me through it so I can be more understandable and so I can put myself in their shoes.

    3. If I was at a dinner with Jesus I would have a ton of questions to ask him for advice. One thing I would ask him is how to control my frustration with people. Another thing i would ask him is why people do things if they know the outcome if it came out and they still do.

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  13. 1.
    a. Last year me and one of my friend got in a semi large fight I didn't understand why she was upset with me. I had done nothing wrong yet I was the one that felt guilty and was the most upset. After everything was over I realized that the reason this happened was to make our friendship stronger and bring us together.
    b. The positive lesson I learned is that you have to believe you are doing the right thing and that in the end you are helping your friend out. Not matter how upset they get with you are how much you cry they will understand sooner or later. When everything went back to the way things were before what happened brought us together.

    2. When I have a difficult situation with a friend were I know they are doing something wrong but they don't understand. Also when I have a hard test and I just need something to help me focus. After I pray it always just helps me concentrate and focus on things.
    3. I would ask him multiple things. I would ask him for advice on things with friends and what is the best thing to do. I would also ask him what is a way to better myself in my faith.

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  14. 1. a- Sometime ago I had this friend and we would get in fights all the time about little things and a bunch of stuff was happening between me and my friend. We just kept arguing day after day. After a couple weeks me and that person became closer and we hung out a lot after that and became really good friends and we still are really good friends.

    b- The lesson I learned was just be nice to everyone and people will be nice to you back. I learned that people always work things out and arguments always come to end.

    2. I pray for the gift of knowledge when I am making decisions. I would like to know what one is right and what one is wrong. I want to know what would be better in the long run.

    3. If I had dinner with Jesus I would ask him to guide me through situations in my life. I would also ask him to help me with problems I face in my everyday life. Finally I would enjoy dinner, I'm eating with Jesus.

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  15. 1) Last year my "friends" started to talk about me behind my back and saying things. I had no clue why they were doing this, but one day they burst and said a lot of stuff that brought my self esteem down. I had no clue what led to them saying all this stuff. God led me in the right direction though of finding my true friends. To this day I still don't know what led to them saying all that stuff and talking bad about me behind my back.

    I learned many people's true colors and who they actually are on the inside. I learned my true friends and who I need to stick with. That experience showed me that I can and should stand up for myself. It showed me how strong of a person I am.

    2) I haven't been doing the greatest on my religion and my social studies tests. I have to use my knowledge of finding new ways to help me stay focused and how to study better. I pray for the gift of knowledge before my test and hope that I do my best that I can.

    3) If I were to have dinner with Jesus I would ask him about my future and ask him if I am successful. I would hope that I actually become something that really helps everyone in the world. I would ask him if I actually have a happy and good family when I'm older and if life is going to be good to me when I'm older.

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  16. 1.
    a) A time in my life when I was confused was when everything I would do felt like I was in the wrong. It felt like it was all a mistake and it just kept getting worse. I realized after that God was there for me. That God knew I could get through it and he would always be there for me.

    b)The positive lesson that was learned that was I can always get past it. No matter what happens I can learn to deal with it. I know that God can help guide me to the right path.

    2.A current situation that I am going through right now was being close with someone but then drifting. I was really close with them and I am having a hard time understanding why they would do somethings that would cause us to grow apart. I want God to help me understand why they did it. I want him to help me try to forgive what happened and still be okay with them.

    3. If I was at dinner with Jesus I would ask him why somethings have happened. Why those things were brought into my life and why they didn't help and what the purpose was. I would ask him to help find a way to understand.

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  17. 1.
    A.) A time when I was particularly confused is when I get a bad grade on a test and someone who didn’t study did better than me. I don’t understand why they did so good and I did so bad. It frustrates me when I study for hours and do horrible, while they don’t study at all and get an A. Then I understand that God wants me to study more.
    B.) A positive lesson I learned is that, God has a plan for me. I also learn that everyone Is different in life. I also learned that life is unfair and I just need to deal with it.

    2.A difficult situation where I ask for the gift of knowledge is when I don’t know what high school will accept me. It is hard to tell what path God wants me to go down. God has the best path for me no matter what happens.

    3.If I had dinner with Jesus I would ask him how to know what's the best way to be successful. I would also ask him how to make good decisions in life.

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  18. 1. You've heard, "Hindsight is 20/20." This particular saying is referring to knowledge.

    a. There was a time a while back that another person and I were not getting along. I didn't understand why we couldn't get along and it was very confusing to me. As time went on we started to understand each other more and I worked at and continue to work at not getting frustrated and just being there for them. God has a way of showing us no matter what things will always be better and he knows when you really need a true friend because that is what this person is now.

    b.The positive lesson is that things can always be worked out if you let it. I learned to listen to my friend and not be upset with things out of my control.

    A difficult situation I find myself in now is that I know a person who lies. It makes matters worse because they aren't telling the truth and continue to lie and can't seem to stop. I try looking at it from their point of view but every time I do there is always a better way for them to handle things than the way they did. I pray that God can help me understand more as to why they do this and that God can help them to stop.

    3. If I were to have dinner with Jesus, I would ask him why does he allow people to die. I would ask why does he let people we love leave us to go be with him. I mean I kind of understand the bigger picture but I would love to hear his reasons and not the ones everyone else tells us.

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  19. 1.
    a. A time in my past when I was confused with a certain thing was when my Grandma dementia was getting worse. I knew that God is all knowing, and has a plan for everyone. Even though I knew this I couldn’t understand why he was doing this. After a while I realized that God had a plan.

    b. Even though the situation was negative and tough, I realized that it did come with a positive lesson. It taught me how to have patience and trust God. If we trust God, then we will be saved.

    2. I ask for the gift of knowledge quite often. I ask for this gift when I have a choice between good and bad, and the bad choice is easier. I always hope that good can guide me to the right decision

    3.If I was having dinner with Jesus I would want to ask him a lot. I would ask him how he had the knowledge to make the right decision. I would ask him how he never took the easy way out by making the bad decision.

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  20. There was this one week in my life that was just unfortunate situation after unfortunate situation. I couldn't do anything right that week with people criticizing everything I did. It was hard to be in a good mood that week but I believed that God will guide me through the dark. My life got a lot better after that week.

    One positive thing I got out of that week was never give up. Life is not nice sometimes but you have to persevere through it. I also learned you can't feel sorry for yourself. You have to hold your head up high and keep going.

    A difficult situation I am in today is where I want to go to high school. It's hard to pick one when I love both schools. I pray to God to guide me to my best fit.

    If I had dinner with Jesus, I would ask him how to forgive others when they really make you mad. I would also ask him how to make better decisions. There's going to be times in my life where I have to make a hard decision. I would ask him to guide me.

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  21. A time that I didn't understand God is when one of the worst weeks of my life happened. This was a very hard time to get through. But God led me through this hard time and I got through it.

    Even though the situation was hard to get through I learned that God can make any bad thing into a positive thing. I also learned that things will always get better. That is what learned from a bad thing in my life

    The times that I ask for the gift of knowledge is when I am being tempted with something. The reason I ask for the gift of knowledge in these situations is if I pick the wrong thing that could affect me in the long run. That is when I ask for the gift of knowledge.

    If I had dinner with Jesus I would ask him how did you get through the walk to the cross. That was a really hard time for Jesus. I would wan't to know how he did it so I could get through hard times like that.

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  22. A time I didn't understand God was one of the worst couple days about 2 years ago. It was hard to see my dad go through it, but I tried to help him get through it and it didn't really help. I questioned my faith for it because I didn't think God would want that but I pulled through it.

    I learned that God could make things better. Sometimes it doesn't seem like it but he can. That has what I have experienced over time.

    The times that I ask for the gift of knowledge is when I am in many situations. Good or Bad. If it is a poor decision I can use the gift of knowledge to choose right from wrong.

    If I was at a dinner with Jesus I would ask him everything he has been through. He did all of that to save us. I would also ask him if it was painful, I bet it was but I would still ask.

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  23. 1.
    A)
    There was the time of when my mom was getting remarried. I had been confused as to why she was, but as time passed I realized why and came to understand the predicament I thought I was in and understood what was going on.

    B)
    A good lesson learned was that I should be open to change and try to take the unknown head on. And that I shouldn’t be afraid of something knew and should be understanding of things.

    2.
    In finding a good high school. I find it difficult to find differences in them and choose between them. And choosing which one to be better cause I see know difference. So I pray for knowledge to see the difference and to help make the right decision.

    3.
    If I were to have dinner with Jesus I would ask him to help me see diffracted in things. And to help me see things how others see them, instead of everything being simple and the same.

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