PACT for the 2nd week of November

Searching for Wisdom   Items needed: index cards or pieces of paper (to hide)   This week we started studying the book of Proverbs. Wisdom is a main theme of the book and something we all could use a little more of.   Do a wisdom search. Write each letter of the word, wisdom on an index card or piece of paper; you may even want to make a different colored set for each child to find. After all the letters have been found, unscramble the letters to discover the MOST important thing we can find.   Read Proverbs 1:7.   Ask:   What is wisdom? (Knowing and doing the right thing)   What does the statement “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” mean?(Wisdom comes by recognizing the greatness of God and understanding that He is in charge and knows what is best; it is respecting His laws; it is starting with Him and not ourselves, etc.)   A wise person recognizes that within himself, he does not know the best way, so he seeks God's thoughts and ways.   *If you have older kids, write proverbs about wisdom instead of letters on index cards for kids to find (Proverbs 1:5, 7, 8; 2:6; 3:13; 8:11; 10:31; 16:16; 17:24, etc are some good ones). Let each one read their proverb and talk about its meaning.   Searching for wisdom—searching for the wisest thing to do—will be the BEST thing we can do in life.       Finding Wisdom   God appeared to Solomon (the author of most of the proverbs) in a dream and said, "Ask whatever you want and I will give it to you."   Ask your kids:   If you could have one wish, what would it be?   Solomon's one wish was for wisdom to rule over the people of Israel. God was so pleased he had asked for this one thing rather than long life, riches, or his enemies destroyed that He gave Solomon wisdom like no one ever had or will ever have. He also promised Solomon riches, honor, and a long life IF he was obedient (1 Kings 3:5-14).   Read Proverbs 16:16.   Ask:   Why is having wisdom better than having money or gold? (Money or gold can be lost or stolen, but wisdom cannot; wisdom will help you do the right thing and avoid the bad consequences of sin; God will honor a wise person, etc.)   How can we get wisdom? (Upper elementary students learned five ways to be wise: Be humble; Read the Bible; Pray for wisdom; Listen to wise people; Follow God's commands.)   God is completely wise and all-knowing! He has given us the Bible to help us grow wiser and know the right way to go, but we must read and obey it!             What's the Wise Thing to Do?    Brainstorm situations where kids will need to make a choice (lost lunch money, need to do book report but friend wants you to go to ballgame, friends want you to watch a movie your parents have prohibited, teacher leaves the room and tells class to finish assignment, you get $25 for your birthday, you have three hours of free time, etc).   After reading each situation, ask: What is the wise thing to do? Wisdom is defined as not only knowing the right way, but also choosing to follow it. It is important to know the wise thing, but it is just as important to DO it.   Keep working on memorizing Psalm 100:4. Memorizing the Bible is a wise thing to do!