Having been involved with many jobs, both sales and managerial in the retail world, I had become used to being nice to everyone.

This wasn’t easy but my livelihood depended on my personality as well as my product meeting the consumer’s likings. This is true as well in a Christian’s life.

In the retail environment, companies send out “secret shoppers” to evaluate many aspects of their employees, such as behavior, knowledge of products, pricing and procedures of the company.

Most of the time you were confronted as to your performance, whether good (acceptable) or bad (unacceptable). After going through this test once, you were more on guard in fear of a repeat episode.

This is just as if you’ve ever had a speeding ticket, you slow down as if there’s a law enforcement officer behind every hidden spot.

In our Christian lives, these events are also prevalent. In Hebrews 13:1-2 it says, “Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

This is sort of like “secret shoppers,” in that we don’t know the image of angels or Christ Jesus Himself. For it states in I John 3:2, “Behold, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.”

I always try to treat everyone as I would an angel or representative of Jesus Christ Himself. After all, it tells us in Matthew 7:12, “Therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.”

And in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

In Matthew 25, Jesus tells of the final judgment and the division of the righteous and unrighteous.

Matthew 25:33, “And he (the Son of Man) shall set the sheep (righteous) on his right hand, but the goats (unrighteous) on his left.” Verses 35-36 tell of the righteous feeding, giving drink, sheltering him as a stranger, giving him clothing, visiting him in both sickness and prison.

Following, verses 37-39 tell of the righteous questioning; when did they perform these duties (acts) for the Son of Man? The answer is in Matthew 25:40, “And the King (Son of Man) shall answer and say unto them, verily I say unto you, in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.”

They are told in Matthew 25:34 that they will inherit the kingdom prepared for them (heaven). The righteous inherit heaven and the unrighteous are condemned to hell as stated in Matthew 25:46, “And these (unrighteous) shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the righteous into life eternal.”

These scriptures along with their laws should give you the desire to be among the righteous.

In short, treat everyone as a “secret shopper” (brother of Jesus Christ). Then you can inherit the promise of heaven as stated in Titus 1:2, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.”

So, ask God to forgive you for your sins, knowing that you are a sinner; believe in Jesus Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance and follow/study God’s word.

This, along with treating everyone as you’d like to be treated, will put you among the righteous.

God bless all!

Jeff Long lives on Sells Road in Salisbury.