The Inspector is coming – Surprise!

I have a member of my family who is a health inspector.

I don’t know a whole lot about her job, but I do know that she has to make sure that the places of business she inspects are following the law, and that she pays them a surprise visit.

She doesn’t announce her coming.

I’ve heard of other places where inspectors do announce they’re coming. What then often happens is that everyone scrambles, right before the deadline, to make sure that things are just right!

Personally, I find that this allows the employees to be lax in their efforts to keep things safe at their place of business between inspections. It gives them the opportunity to put on a good face for the inspector, pretending that they were keeping the law, when they really weren’t.

I hope that the businesses that don’t know when the inspector is coming are more careful to do things consistently the right way. But, if they aren’t, when the inspector arrives, they will be caught doing that which is not right.

It seems to me that there’s something about human nature that tends to start drifting when the boss (or teacher/professor) is not there. We often need a reminder to keep on track.

This makes me think of a higher law than health and safety regulations: the commands of God.

Jesus talked about going away and coming again someday, and he told his followers to be ready.

“Be ready, because the Son of Man will return when you least expect him.” Luke 12:40 GWT

He has given us a job to do while we wait for His return. I wonder how we are doing?

Have we become lax in serving Him, or do we keep alert to pleasing Him, remembering that He could come back at any time?

I’m reminded that He sees what we do all the time, even when He’s not physically present, unlike a human inspector, but when He comes back, we will have to give account to Him for our words and actions.

If, upon this reminder, we find we have been lacking in our diligence to obey Him, let’s take the time to pray for His forgiveness and for His help in getting back on the right track.

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’” Matthew 25:40 NLT

How are you and I treating Jesus?

What do we need to do differently?

Are we ready for the Inspector?