Before class, write the phrase, “Why is obedience important?” on the whiteboard (or screenshared document).
As your students enter the classroom, invite them to come up to the board and write their answer to this question based on their own experiences or on common knowledge. (If your class is meeting online, have students call out their answers as you type them on the document.) For example, “The last time I disobeyed my parents I lost my phone privileges” or “When my uncle was caught speeding, he got a ticket from the police officer.”
When all students who wanted to participate have finished, read the answers to the entire class.
- What might happen if everyone stopped obeying all laws? (Answers will vary. Most students will come to the conclusion that traffic laws, laws on the books, school rules, etc. are there for their protection and to help society function.)
In order to incentivize customers to obey the traffic laws and drive safely, some car insurance companies reward their policyholders for safe driving. Let’s take a look at one how one company does this through an app.
Play the following video for your students [1:11]: Drivewise: Allstate’s Safe Driving Tool
- Do you think more people using Allstate insurance began following the laws and driving safely when they received the offer of discounts through Drivewise? (Answers will vary. Help students see that this incentive toward obedience seemed to be working.)
- Have you ever been rewarded for your obedience? (Answers will vary. Invite students to share. Perhaps a teacher, coach, or parent took this approach with them.)
- In general, what do you think of rewards for obedience instead of punishments for disobedience? (Answers will vary. Accept all reasonable answers.)
- Do positive incentives work? At what point is it necessary to just obey regardless of a positive incentive? (Invite students to share their thoughts. Most will say that a police officer can’t explain to each driver why he or she must wear a seatbelt or not run a red light. Sometimes a reward helps, but often obedience is just necessary for the safe function of society.)
Incentivizing drivers with discounts for driving according to the traffic laws can help reduce car accidents and make the roads safer for everyone! Let’s find out about God’s expectations about obedience.
