31-Day Marriage Devotional
Day 12
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
“So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”
(1 Corinthians 10:31)
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What is the most important quality that you would like to have in your life? Of all the qualities to choose from, there is one transcending quality that must be at the top of your list. That one exceeding quality is the glory of God. If your desire to glorify God is the chief aim of your life, there is a fantastic chance you will experience a meaningful and satisfying marriage, even when your spouse does not meet your expectations.
There is nothing that transcends this God-centered quality in His image bearers. If your chief aim in life is to spread the fame of God, you can be comforted by the fact that even sin or sinful temptations will not overcome your dogged and unflinching determination to be like Jesus everywhere you go (Ephesians 5:1).
And whenever sin does make its advances, your habit of glorifying God will win the war against sin’s intent. When the guardian of your heart is the glory of the Lord, you’re in the best place to be a good friend, a great lover, and a wonderful spouse. There are many tools available to help you more effectively glorify God. Here are three of those tools:
Passion – Everyone is passionate about something, and that “something” defines them. Nobody lacks passion. If you look long enough, you will find the thing that makes you emote.
Desires to have a great job, rear spiritual children, and build a secure future are good things, but when it comes to the Lord, there must be a preeminent longing for His glory that is so high that all other “loves” look like hate by comparison (Luke 14:26-27).
Repentance – Nobody has been able to pull off perfection, but Jesus. Your lack of complete sanctification means you and your spouse are imperfect sinners on your best days. Your spouse has sinned against you and God, and you have done similarly.
You do not have to be discouraged by this if your chief aim is to glorify God. Glorifying God does not imply perfection. Living a perfect life is contrary to the Bible—for all have sinned (Romans 3:23), and if anyone says they don’t sin, they are liars (1 John 1:7-10). But do not fear; there is good news.
A person whose primary goal is to glorify God has a great backup plan because that person is a repenting person. Though you will have lapses in judgment, as experienced by doing something unkind to your spouse, you will respond quickly with a broken-hearted confession (Psalm 51:17), and a request for forgiveness.
Community – A God-impassioned, repenting person will seek similar associations. Let me state it another way: regardless of who you are, you will find your kind. The question then becomes, “What kind of people are you pursuing?”
The LORD wired you with a herd mentality, which is why you seek community. You long for a community because God made you in His image; you reflect the image of the original community (Genesis 1:26-27). You can take the measure of an individual by assessing their associations—the things they try to fill their lives, and nobody surrounds themselves with things they do not like.
Time to Reflect:
- Does your desire to glorify God give you the wisdom and perseverance to spread the fame of God even when your marriage is not meeting your expectations?
- How can you more effectively glorify God in your marriage, especially when things do not go your way?
Practical Suggestion
Rank the three tools I mentioned that help you to glorify God—passion, repentance, and community. Which of those three do you need more help in developing? Find a mentor (preferably your spouse) to develop a plan to change what you need to change so you can more effectively spread the fame of God in your life and marriage.
