House Inspections

While I never trashed a house that I lived in, I would be lying if I said that I always kept every place spotless.

Nehemiah 10:1-39

Reference: v.29 all these now join their fellow Israelites the nobles, and bind themselves with a curse and an oath to follow the Law of God given through Moses the servant of God and to obey carefully all the commands, regulations and decrees of the Lord our Lord. (TNIV Bible)

Explore: I have been involved in seven different lease agreements in my life, where I have rented a home from someone else.  Each time you move into a new house you make an agreement with the landlord that you will keep everything tidy and not damage their property.  While I never trashed a house that I lived in, I would be lying if I said that I always kept every place spotless.  It’s amazing how quickly grime builds up, and how everything else in life seems more exciting than cleaning a house! However, every six months the whole household would scurry around, madly cleaning, as we were about to have a house inspection.  Whether it was the owner or the agent, they would come through and make sure the house was being kept well.  While it was always a hassle to undergo a house inspection, it made you keep your agreement in maintaining the house.

Application: Throughout our lives we make many decisions. Some of these decisions are easy to keep, while others, no matter how good for us, take more discipline and perseverance.  That’s when it’s good to have someone keep us accountable.  Like a house inspection, it’s good to have other ‘inspectors’ in our lives.  If you have committed to read the Bible regularly, then it’s helpful to have a ‘Bible inspector’ – someone who holds you accountable and asks you how it is going.  If you have committed to lose weight, then it’s helpful to have a ‘Diet inspector’ – someone who is there to call when the chocolate seems too desirable! When the Israelites recommitted their whole selves back to God, they wrote an agreement and there were many ‘inspectors’ there who agreed to the terms and were committed to make them happen.  This isn’t about creating a new law in our lives, but to have trusted people to keep us accountable.

Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we slip away from your word.  Amen.

What do you need an ‘inspector’ for in your life?

accountability, discipline, Nehemiah