An Ever-Changing World

David C Cook COVID-19 Response

High School

Lesson 1
Summer 2023
By: RLD Editorial Team
June 04, 2023

Lesson Focus:

We can depend on our unchanging God.

Bible Basis:

Exodus 20:1-3; Psalm 99:2-5; Malachi 3:6

Materials Needed:

Step 1:

Internet access

Step 4:

Paper
Pens/pencils

Summary & Links:

Students will be reminded that while many things in their lives and in society change over time, God always remains the same.

Memory Verse:

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
—James 1:17

Students will be reminded that while many things in their lives and in society change over time, God always remains the same.

Materials Needed:

Internet access

Life has changed a lot over the last school year. Maybe some of you have gotten jobs, others are thinking about plans after high school, and still others have begun applying to colleges.

What are a few things that have changed for you over the past school year? (Accept all reasonable responses.)
What are some changes you anticipate over the summer? (Accept all reasonable responses.)
What are some things that have stayed the same during this year? (Accept all reasonable responses.)

One thing that has changed in the recent world of technology is the use of artificial intelligence, or AI. For many years, AI felt like a far-off thing, but with the invention of software like Chat GPT, AI is quickly becoming part of many people’s lives. Let’s watch a quick video about this incredible technology:

Share the following video with your students [2:22]:
How To Use Chat GPT by Open AI For Beginners

What are some of the potentially helpful features of this technology? (Brainstorming, generating essay ideas, creating website copy, editing skills, etc.)
What are some of the potential downsides of this technology? (Plagiarism, getting technology to do your work for you, etc.)

Most of us would probably agree that new technologies have been positive overall. But change always has a price tag. AI items like Chat GPT might help with brainstorming essay topics or assist businesses in writing website copy. However, there are potential negative uses of this technology, such as plagiarism or getting AI to do your work for you..

Whether the outcome is mostly good or mostly bad, it’s hard to live through periods of life when it seems like everything is in flux. You can feel excited and worried and sad and angry, all in the same day . . . or maybe the same minute! You might even feel that way right now.

What’s one thing that has helped you cope with changes in your life, even when things seem uncertain? (Accept all reasonable answers.)

Our lives change all the time. Often, that’s a good thing, but many times, the changes around us can cause concern or frustration. But since God is already perfect, He has no reason to be different. Let’s explore three short passages from the Bible that show God’s unchanging character.

Looking for Steps 2 & 3?

You can find Steps 2 and 3 in your teacher’s guide. To purchase a teacher’s guide, please visit: Bible-in-Life or Echoes.

Materials Needed:

Paper
Pens/pencils

If your class is meeting online, invite them to bring paper and pens/pencils with them to class.

Looking back on past experiences can be a good way to reassure yourself in the present. That’s especially true when it comes to your experiences with God. Our lives are always changing, but He never does! So, if you’ve discovered that He is faithful in the past, you can be sure that’s still true in the present—even in the midst of fluctuating quarantine restrictions!

Distribute supplies (or invite teens to have items ready at home). On the front of this paper, write a change that you’re living through right now. Maybe it’s a small thing like your favorite TV show being cancelled. Or maybe it’s a big thing like you aren’t sure if college classes will resume as usual in the fall or if they will be online.

Big or small, change can be unsettling! But remember, we serve a changeless God. Ask your students to turn their papers over and write about a situation in the past when their lives were changing, and faith in God helped them. Consider how God showed His love to you. What truths about Him were most helpful at the time? Write down the biggest thing about God’s love and faithfulness that you want to remember from your past experience with change.

You might get worried about your changing world sometime this week or in the weeks to come. Read again the truth about God that you wrote down. He showed His love to you in the past, and you can count on Him to do it again!

If time permits, invite (but don’t require) a few students to share the story behind what they wrote down on their papers considering the following:

What change are they experiencing now (from the front of the paper)?
When they experienced change before, how did God show His faithfulness to them (from the back of the paper)?
How can that encourage them in the present and future?

Your life will always be changing, but God never does . . . so you can be sure that He’ll be with you through every part of life.

Close in group prayer.

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David C Cook COVID-19 Response

High School