Opening
Your life is full of decisions: when to go to bed, what to eat, whom to befriend, what to wear…These are just a few of the decisions you make regularly. Some decisions are big, and some are small, but each of your past decisions whether good or bad has made you into the person you are today. Let’s take a look at Jason as he faces a big decision in his life.

Watch DVD Scene 15 (“The Gift of Learning”) Start time—1:00:00-End Time—1:03:38 (3:38)

Discussion Questions
1. What big decision was Jason facing in this clip? (He had to decide whether to leave the country.) Were there any factors that made Jason’s decision difficult? (Yes. Answers will vary but may include: The holidays were approaching; his relationship with Emily and her mother.)

2. Read Genesis 2:17. What did God command of Adam and Eve in this verse? (The command from God was for Adam and Eve not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.)

3. Read Genesis 3:1-7. What decision did Adam and Eve face in these verses? (Whether or not to obey God’s command to not eat from the tree.) What did they decide to do? (To go against God’s command and eat from the tree.) According to verse 6, why did Eve decide to eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and not follow the command of God? (She desired to gain wisdom.) According to verse 7, what was the first consequence of their bad decision? (They realized they were naked and were now ashamed.)

4. Read Genesis 3:8-13. Who did Adam blame for his bad decision? (Eve.) Who did Eve blame for her bad decision? (The serpent.) Before Adam and Eve’s bad decision, did the blame game and using excuses for bad decisions exist? (No, before Adam and Eve’s sin God’s creation was perfect and there was not need for blame or excuses.)

5. Read Genesis 3:14-21. What were some other consequences of the decision Adam and Eve made? (V. 16 tells of pain in childbearing and v. 17 mentions painful toil in growing food because of thorns and thistles.) Do your decisions have consequences? (Yes.) What are some of the consequences, on yourself and others, of your bad decisions? (Bad decisions can cause you and others emotional and physical pain; they can cause parents to discipline you; they can cause others to not trust you.)

6. Are we still paying today for Adam and Eve’s decision to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? (Yes.) How? (We are all sinful at birth due to Adam and Eve’s bad decision.) Do your decisions, good and bad, sometimes affect others long after they are made? (Yes.) How? (You make a decision to hang with a group of friends that are making fun of someone. The pain that person feels can stay with them for a long time.)

7.  Read Genesis 3:21. Do you see God’s forgiveness for Adam and Eve in this verse? (Yes.) Where? (God made garments for them.) Did the forgiveness of Adam and Eve come at a cost? (Yes, the garments were made of skins from animals who gave their lives because of Adam and Eve’s mistake.)

8. What are some decisions you face at your age? (Answers will vary.) What are some big decisions you may face in the future? (Who to date and marry; whether or not to go to college; where to go to college; whether or not to take drugs; your future occupation.) Read James 1:5 and Proverbs 3:5-6. Where should you turn for help in making your decisions? (God.)

9. Read Colossians 3:13. Do you find God’s forgiveness for your bad decisions in this verse? (Yes.) Will you ask God for forgiveness for your past bad decisions and leave all the guilt and shame of those decisions behind you? (Answers will vary.) According to this verse, should you forgive others who make bad decisions that affect your life? (Yes.)

10. Will you commit to making God a part of all your decisions from this day forward? (Answers will vary.)

Closing Thought
Is God part of your decision making process? You may still be suffering the consequences of bad decisions you made long ago. There is no need to have guilt and shame over those bad decisions from your past. God isn’t dwelling on your past bad decisions, and you shouldn’t either. Always remember God loves you, has forgiven you and wants you to trust in Him to direct and guide your future decisions.

Closing Prayer

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps” (Prov. 16:9).

“but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die” (Gen. 2:17).

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’ The woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.”‘ ‘You will not certainly die,’ the serpent said to the woman. ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’ He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.’ And he said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?’ The man said, ‘The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman said, ‘The serpent deceived me, and I ate.’ So the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel.”‘ To the woman he said, ‘I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.’ To Adam he said, ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, “You must not eat from it,” Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.’ Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” (Gen. 3:1-7, 8-13, 14-21).

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 1:5).

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and he will make your paths straight” (Prov. 3:5-6).

“Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Col. 3:13).