There’s an expression. “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.” The idea is that people are doing things they shouldn’t be doing and don’t want other people to find out about it! “Let’s keep secret what happened in Vegas!”

Sometimes we can have that same mentality about our homes—even if we don’t use that expression. I’m not saying that you’re worse than anybody else or that you are prone to secrecy! My point is that we don’t fully appreciate that what happens in our homes doesn’t stay there—it has an impact on our wider society. Homes are not separate from the wider world; they are a foundational building block for what happens in public.

The Bible places a massive emphasis on what happens in the home. Consider just two of the 10 Commandments: “Honor your father and your mother” (Exodus 20:12) and “You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14). There are a hundred different reasons why it is wise to do these things. But one of them is that healthy homes contribute to a healthier society. 

Theologian Thomas Cranmer went so far as to say that when infidelity in the home goes rampant it becomes a ‘poison’ to society at large.

Our homes can be places of love and respect, of faithfulness and truth-telling, of order and protection, of correction and growth, of joy and rest, and of teaching and learning.

Some of you are living in very healthy homes. Some of you are living in very unhealthy homes. Some of you are young. Some of you have been in your situation for a long time. Some of you have homes were the Bible is taught, prayers are said, and people are served and shown compassion. Others feel alone in their faith, and every day feels like a battle.

No matter the situation you are in, you can play your own part well. You can’t control what other people do, but you can do the things well that only you can do: trust in God, love others, set an example, and be a healthy ingredient in whatever situation you’re in.

This will be a blessing beyond your four walls—even if you can’t always see the result in real time.

Regardless of what has happened up until now, today is new. Trust and follow Jesus in your home. Others will benefit. And God will be glorified.

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Notes:

-“Adultery, Lust, Porn and Throwing the First Stone.” Click here. Sermon. 
-Bible quotes are from the NIV.