PHILIPPIANS 1:20 – as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.

THEME OF THE DAY. THE PLACE OF SPIRITUAL MEASUREMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY. Everyone has one. Everyone wears one. For Christians, it may easily come out on Sundays. It is our “public” face. Now I am not talking about us being full blown hypocrites during the week and coming to church on Sundays looking all spiritual. We must learn to distinguish between Christians fighting hypocrisy and being a hypocrite. There is a huge difference. All genuine Christians fight hypocrisy. We never measure up to the standards of obedience in God’s Word, but we try and fail. That doesn’t make us hypocrites. It makes us Christians fighting the fight we will have till we get to heaven. But here is another distinction between fighting hypocrisy and being a hypocrite. Genuine Christians will not be passive and tolerate a dual life. Hypocrites allow, even embrace a dual life. Not true Christians. We won’t live privately betraying our profession of faith in Jesus Christ while publicly professing faith in Jesus Christ. We won’t roll over and just let this duality exist. We will fight this with great spiritual resolve, and though we fail, we will make progress. We will sin less. We won’t be sinless, but we will sin less.

So, with the issue between hypocrisy and being a hypocrite resolved, how may we know just where we are spiritually? What and where may we get a clear spiritual picture of ourselves to ensure we don’t lean on our own understanding and give ourselves a blurred image, and inaccurate assessment? There is one place and one group of people who are the best source to “tell it like it really is” when it comes to getting the right spiritual look at ourselves. It is in our homes with those the closest to us. We get the most accurate assessment of how close we are to Jesus Christ; how much we are growing in His likeness; and how spiritually healthy we really are not by the people who observe us in public or see us in our churches on Sundays. The best measurement of our true spiritual condition will be revealed in our homes and observed by those closest to us and know us best. Want to know if we are fighting hypocrisy or being a hypocrite? Ask wives. Ask children. Ask those who live under our roof and observe us daily. Here is where the “spiritual rubber meets the road”. Our greatest accountability partners are our families. If a family is built on the foundation of Jesus Christ; if a marriage is Christ-centered, then regular spiritual check-ups of one another should occur. Love demands such accountability and encouragement. It might be painful, but it will be good. The most important place of discipleship is the home. It is in the home, the privacy of family or couples, that intimacy with Jesus Christ and conformity to His image will occur most. Yes, the local church is vital for spiritual growth, but the primary place is the home. And it is the primary proving grounds whether we are fighting hypocrisy or being hypocrites.

In our daily lives as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, start seeing the home and our families, with or without children, as God’s gifts to us for spiritual nurture, spiritual instruction, spiritual modeling, and spiritual accountability. Don’t let the busyness of worldly activities, pleasures, and pursuits make our homes little different than the unbeliever. Let’s seek the Lord to make our homes “little churches” where spiritual priorities are maintained and practiced. After all, the true revelation of whether we are fighting hypocrisy or being hypocrites is proven in the sanctity of our homes with our families.

PRAYER: “Father, help me to remember my walk with You is constant.”

QUOTE: “The real measure of our spiritual life is what we do when no one is around.”