I recently downloaded and started using Nationwide Insurance's Smartride app. It tracks my driving and after a couple of months it will determine what additional discount I receive on my auto insurance. I have only used it for a couple of days, but already in just that short amount of time, it has impacted how I drive. I pay closer attention to speed limits. I pay closer attention to how I accelerate and brake. I also have discovered that the app doesn't consider driving to a 5:30 a.m. workout to be night driving, even though it sure is dark outside at that time. I find myself already staying more in the right lane as cars zip by me at higher rates of speed. As lights change, I look around and accelerate carefully up to speed versus looking for the lights to change like I'm driving one of those drag cars that take off like rockets. I also am on the lookout more to where I need to start braking earlier - again, I don't feel like I need a parachute to bring me to a stop. Like I said, just because the Smartride app is tracking my driving, my driving life has changed. Now, I have to say that I consider myself a pretty good driver, represented by only a few minor traffic tickets and mishaps over the whole course of my life. This all leads up to the idea that came to me this morning while driving from a workout on my way to The Map Bible study.
Introducing The GODApp — F3 Metro
How can an app have that much influence on a person, and what if there was an app that could influence my faith behavior the same way? Introducing The GODApp (copyright pending and currently seeking angel investors).
Think about this for a minute. Evidently, because I believe I will receive a reward in the future, I am allowing some entity to watch my behavior and judge whether I'm worthy of that reward. The rules of the program indicate that I can't be judged negatively and thus increase my insurance premium; it can only benefit me by driving responsibly.
Just imagine, that we now have the GODApp. It will constantly judge your actions, and between now and when you die, it will determine your reward. Where you will be going when you die will not be impacted negatively by your behaviors that the GODApp tracks, but doesn't everyone want added rewards? I'm not a Bible scholar, but isn't there something about being noticed as a good and faithful servant when you meet God. I believe we don't like the idea of someone (yea HIM) tracking our every thought and action which would be why not everyone would download the app and start using it constantly in their daily lives. Is it because we can't quantify the reward we get by staying in the right lane, obeying rules, and playing it safe throughout our lives? If it were me, and maybe a lot of you, I might download the app for a trial period and try it out. Maybe it would have a tracker that could estimate my reward balance based on how I have been doing, like the free games do that I use occasionally on my phone. ("Occasionally" may be more than what the GODApp would reward me for versus spending time on other things or people.) I wonder if having the GODApp would have the same impact on my life as the Smartride app does. I'm not afraid of the Smartride app, because I can turn it off and delete it, with no detrimental impact to my life. Now the twist.
We don't even need to download the GODApp. It is free and has already conveniently been downloaded and opened in everyone of us. It is tracking our behavior whether we like it or not. The question is do we follow the will of the app developer (yea, HIM again) and pay attention to what the app is tracking, or do we go off and just do whatever we want for ourselves? Remember Pokey Man. Imagine instead of going around trying to gain points capturing all kinds of strange creatures that amounted to nothing in reality, everyone went around behaving the way the GODApp called us to do. It would be radically insane, but at the same time, would change the world. Who is with me?! Let's all open the GODApp, leave it open constantly, not just running in the background, and check it constantly through the day. It will be so high tech, you don't need to spend $1000 for the latest iphone 12. It runs the FOS (Faith Operating System) built into each of us.
Thoughts? Pray for my good driving, if nothing else.