Week after week, couples and families sit in their “Sunday best” in churches all across America. They seem like they have it all together. They listen politely to the preacher, act friendly toward each other, and keep their kids quiet enough.  Some even hold positions of leadership or are well-studied in theology and can win debates. But if walls could talk, they would tell us of the disconnect that exists between their public personae and who they really are in their daily walk.

Careless wives who disrespect their husbands by giving less than their best service in the home, or failing to manage household funds wisely.

Lazy husbands who embitter their wives by failing to come alongside them and help.

Peevish wives who nag their husbands and make them feel sorry for having come home from work.

Apathetic husbands who refuse to take their spiritual leadership mandate seriously.

Mothers or fathers who leave the child training to the “professionals”–or to video games and television–anything but truly embracing what it means to shepherd priceless souls into the arms of God, whatever the cost in dollars or headaches.

Families that allow the voices of the world to speak unrestrained into their lives via television and other media, but can’t understand why so much bad fruit is manifesting in their lives. 

Parents whose personal goals come before the goal to raise the next generation in the ways of the Lord. Junior’s behavior goes uncorrected because mom or dad is absorbed in his or her work, social life, TV show, or ministry–yes, even ministry–for some ministries become excuses to focus on what is more pleasing to the flesh, to the neglect of first duties that are difficult for the flesh. It is sometimes easier to blog, run the nursery, give to missions, quote from the Bible, cry at the altar, pray wonderful prayers, give Biblical lectures, and prove false teachers are false; than it is to deal with a wife who is easily angered, a tired or demanding husband, a spoiled or neglected child who is out of control, or a teenager that can only be reached by the patient rebuilding of fallen bridges.

All kinds of  the “form of godliness” but no true power.  Please understand that I’m not saying every person who quotes from the Bible, sits in a pew, or proves false teachers false is a hypocrite. These are valid Christian duties, but practicing them does not exempt one from doing his Christian duty in the home. We must not deceive ourselves!  If we aren’t doers of the Word at home, then we can’t rightly call ourselves doers of the Word at all.

There are some who, in their own homes, allow their personal lusts to feed uninhibited, though they appear controlled in front of their Christian peers.  At home, their mouths spew venom and cursing, they are habitually unthankful  and unkind, but on Sunday morning they are whitewashed and silver-tongued.  At home, they are impatient with others and think it a small thing to neglect sacred duty, but in church, they are loathe to have a hair out of place.  Does God accept this? Indeed not. If we cannot maintain a consistent pattern of holy living that includes care for spouse, carefully appropriated love and discipline for children, and personal self-control & integrity in all of our relationships at home, how spiritual are we really?

These are harsh words, but they are not coming from harshness of spirit, rather from a pained heart that has seen enough hypocrisy. Hypocrisy weakens faith in others, and we dare not take it lightly. When others catch on to the disunity between our profession and our daily walk, they automatically discount our words, however true they may be. And so I urge anyone who reads this to consider carefully just how deep your spiritual life goes. Has your relationship with Jesus and His church body transformed your life from the inside out, or are you thinly cloaking your dead men’s bones with whitewash?  Do you need to make any changes?

Someone who has alot of Bible knowledge or a reputation for being a fine Christian may have a hard time self-evaluating honestly. But remember, the Lord sees what others do not see. Having knowledge alone cannot save, and it can serve to puff up and deceive those who become careless. We must OBEY the truth. We must cry out to God for a pure HEART, out of which will flow the correct actions, not just a sanitized image for others to see.

Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? (2 Cor. 13:5)

Are you producing the fruits of the Holy Spirit in your daily walk?–love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control?  Are you longsuffering toward your spouse? Is the law of kindness on your lips? Are you making your home a place of peace where the order and beauty of the Lord is obvious?  Are you faithfully executing the demands of the cross in whatever station you are in, no matter how difficult and thankless the work sometimes is? Are you gentle and deliberately self-controlled in your parenting? Do you love your children enough to put their training in godliness at the top of your list?  Do you love your family enough to weep before the Lord and beg for His wisdom so that tomorrow can be more fruitful than yesterday? He has promised forgiveness to those who repent, and wisdom to those who sincerely ask for it, in faith believing (James 1:5-6).   Let us be hypocrites no longer, but sincere disciples of Jesus walking in the true power of holiness every day.

God bless you.

http://israeliteindeed./2011/07/22/the-daily-walk-at-home/

Thanks for this piece, Frosbel.
It's truly reflective.