Artificial Intelligence or Real Wisdom

KEY VERSE

James 1:5-8

STICKY STATEMENT

Ask God; get answers.

LESSON OBJECTIVE

Children will learn to ask God for wisdom rather than seeking advice from other sources.

CHECKLIST

1. A Power Point is included with this lesson.

2. A device (cell phone, tablet) that has voice activated assistant (Siri, Alexa, OK Google)

3. Traffic cones or extra chairs

4. 2 blindfolds

LESSON OVERVIEW

In a world saturated with secular advice, to whom should we listen? Scripture is clear that wisdom comes from God alone. The book of James assures us that if we simply ask God for His wisdom, He is eager to give it! Your Olympians will learn through the Scripture and interactive demonstrations that they can ask God for wisdom, and He will give it to them. They will discover the different ways God

reveals His wisdom and will learn to trust God alone to guide them.

Teacher’s Note: This lesson requires 10-15 minutes of prep time prior to the start of the program. Use chairs or traffic cones to create a simple maze.

Younger Adaptation

Electricity is an incredible thing. It powers our lights and runs our computers. However, even though we like electricity very much, we wouldn’t want to go swimming during a lightning storm or plug in a hair dryer while sitting in the bathtub full of water. You can learn all about electricity in science class- how it works, how we can use it, and so on. But even if you know all about electricity, you might end up electrocuting yourself if you don’t have the wisdom not to mix it with water! Knowledge is knowing facts, but wisdom is knowing what to do with those facts. There is a big difference between being smart and being wise.

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INTRODUCTIONTeacher’s Note: Choose to use the younger adaptation or the following one for the Introduction.

[Show Visual 1: a picture of Silicon Valley] Have any of you heard about a place in California called “Silicon Valley”? [Allow children to respond.] Let me tell you about it! While Hollywood has actors, and Nashville has musicians, Silicon Valley has people who invent technology like tablets, Wi-Fi, video games, and computers. Even if you haven’t heard of Silicon Valley or of the inventors that live there, I imagine you have heard of some technology that has come from there. Apple (the company that makes iPhones, iPads, and iTunes), Google, and Facebook all started in Silicon Valley. Now even though Silicon Valley has given us some great technology, they have yet to find a way to make technology that makes decisions as well as humans can. Let me show you what I mean.

BODY

Who is the first person you ask when you don’t know the answer to something? [Allow children an opportunity to respond.] Good answers! Let me tell you a secret: sometimes when adults don’t know the answer, they ask Siri or Google! However, what if you want to know what you should or shouldn’t do in a situation, do you think Siri can answer that question? Let’s find out how helpful Siri can be.

Teacher’s Note: Have an IPhone or another device that can take voice command for this demonstration. If you do not own one, you could ask a volunteer who owns one to come in for this demonstration. Ask Siri, Alexa, or OK Google a series of questions: begin with calculations (ex. “What is 5 x 9?” “What is 983 – 76?”). Once the device answers these questions, tell the children, “Wow, Siri (Alexa, or OK Google) is pretty intelligent.” Then ask Siri, Alexa, or OK Google questions about what you should do (ex. “Siri, should I hang out with my friends? or Siri, should I eat a cookie?”)

For years, technology researchers have been trying to create “Artificial Intelligence” or “AI” for short. This is an area of computer science that gives a computer the ability to learn and make decisions just like a human. Although they can program robots and computers to do a lot of things, they have not been able to make them think like a human. Even though Siri may be smart, scientists and engineers are unable to create a robot with wisdom. The reason? Because only God gives real wisdom.

Let’s open our Bibles to James 1 to see what God’s Word has to say about this. [Read James 1:5] So who should we ask for wisdom? [Allow children opportunity to respond.] Right, we should ask God for wisdom. I’m sure that you can remember a time when your parents may have gotten annoyed with you for asking for something over and over. God is not like your parents. God wants you to ask Him for wisdom often, any time you need it. He will never, ever get upset with you for asking. God promises to give you wisdom generously whenever you need it. Ask God; get answers!

Now, the passage also says something else. [Read James 1:6-8.] This means that when we ask God for wisdom, we need to trust Him alone to give it to us. Let’s play a game to better understand this. Can I have three volunteers?

Teacher’s Note: Do not take more than 5 minutes for this illustration. Blindfold two children and have one try to lead the other through the maze. Then try it again but this time remove the blindfold from one of the children and have the unblindfolded child lead the blindfolded child through the maze again. Your students should see the difference it makes when you have a guide that can see!

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Thanks for your help! It was practically impossible to make it through the maze when both of you were blindfolded, wasn’t it? But, when you had a guide that could see, wasn’t it so much easier?

This is similar to when we ask people for advice. If we are not careful about who we listen to, we may end up following someone who can’t see what is best for us. It would be like the blind leading the blind.

The great news is that God has promised to be our guide. We can trust Him to lead us in the right way. He will give us wisdom if we ask. Ask God; get answers!

Imagine you were in the maze, and you were trying to follow one person who was blindfolded and one person who wasn’t. You would get pulled back and forth and wouldn’t be able to go either direction. James describes this person as being “double minded” and “unstable” James says that if we try to follow God AND someone who tries to lead us a different way, we won’t be able to go either direction. Ask God for wisdom, and He will guide you. You can trust Him. Ask God; get answers.

Now, you may be thinking: how does God give us wisdom? That is a great question. The most important way is through God’s Word, the Bible. Many verses tell us exactly what God wants us to do. For example, God makes it very clear when He says in the Ten Commandments, “You shall not steal.” Another way of getting God’s wisdom is through memorizing God’s Word. The Holy Spirit can use these verses to remind you of God’s wisdom when you need it.

We also get God’s wisdom from pastors, teachers, and parents who can help you make wise choices. When you don’t understand what God’s Word says or how it applies to you, ask someone who loves God and His Word. A godly believer may help you see God’s wisdom for your situation. God will use that person to give His wisdom to you. God won’t let you down. He will give you wisdom if you ask. Ask God; get answers.

APPLICATION

Maybe you have been in a situation where you may not know what to do. Let’s say that you know your friend has been cheating on a test. You are not sure if you should tell the teacher, or if you should keep it secret, so your friend won’t get in trouble. Or perhaps you have some friends who invite you to do something fun, but your parents have said no. You think that if you don’t go, your friends will think you are boring and not cool; but you also know that the right thing to do is to obey your parents.

How do you make these hard decisions? First, stop and ask God for His wisdom about what you should do. Second, I want you to think of a godly person that you could trust to give you godly advice in situations like these. God will generously give you all the answers you need. Ask God; get answers.

Teacher’s Note: While these scenarios may seem cut and dry to an adult, it may not be apparent to a child that this is sin. In these scenarios, the goal is to have the child seek input from an adult who will help them make the right choice.

We also talked about the Bible being the most important way God gives us His wisdom. Having your Quiet Time, memorizing Scripture, going to church and Olympians, and listening to God’s Word are all great ways for you to get God’s wisdom. You may say that you can’t think of a situation where you need God’s wisdom today. However, it is so important for you to grow in God’s wisdom right now for choices that you will have to make in the future. Make time every day to have your quiet time and don’t miss out on coming to church and Olympians. You don’t want to miss all the wisdom God has for you. Remember, if you need wisdom, God will give it to you. Ask God; get answers. [Close in prayer.]

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PERSONAL TRAINING TIME

Goal of this Personal Training Time

Children will focus on how the lesson applies directly to them. They will think through ways to get God’s wisdom and will identify 1-2 people they trust to give them godly advice.

Discussion Questions

1. What does James call a person who tries to listen to God and others who give him different advice? (He is double minded and unstable.)

2. What happens when a person asks God for wisdom? (Ask God; get answers. God wants us to ask Him for wisdom often and will give it to us generously.)

3. How does God give us His wisdom? (Make sure you emphasize that wisdom is communicated by the Scriptures primarily, but that God can also use pastors, parents, and teachers to share His wisdom with them. Tell them that having their Quiet Time, memorizing Scripture, going to church, and coming to Olympians are great sources of God’s wisdom. Encourage them to be faithful in these things.)

4. The lesson said to ask for wisdom from someone who loves God and His Word when you don’t know what to do. Can you think of a person like that in your life who you could ask for help? (Help each child to think about 1-2 people who love God and His Word. Encourage them not to be afraid to ask those people for help with making wise decisions.)

PARENT CONNECTION

Your child often faces situations where they need wisdom to know what decision is the best to make. In Olympians they learned that God will gladly give them wisdom if they ask Him. God gives us wisdom through His Word, the Bible. The Book of Proverbs in the Bible focuses specifically on wisdom. This week, take some time to pray with your child that God will help them to be wise. Each day read and discuss one of these verses from Proverbs with them (Proverbs 30:5, Proverbs 3:5, Proverbs 4:23, Proverbs 27:17, Proverbs 16:3). Remind them that if they need wisdom, God will provide it. Ask God; get answers.

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Visual 1

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