Give God the Glory

1 Corinthians 10:31 “Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

I had an interesting conversation with a youth in care at work last week. The gist of the conversation revolved around the fact that my fiancé does not live with me. She was shocked when I said that I live in one house and he lives in another. She couldn’t understand this concept. Her biggest concern was what would happen when we get married and one of us gets on the other’s nerves? I believe her statement was “What are you going to do when he gets on your nerves, or you get on his nerves? It’ll be out the door then!” I chuckled at first, but then realized that she was serious. I explained that even though I’m sure there will be things that come up that test us, I am not worried. We love each other and will be able to work through it.

She looked at me as if I was speaking a different language. The thought of marrying someone without living with them beforehand was totally foreign to her. She asked me how I knew that we would be okay. I told her confidently that “I love him, but I love Jesus more. That’s why I know we are going to work.” I told her that I know if we put God first and at the center of our marriage, we will be able to work through whatever comes our way. She didn’t argue, but said she didn’t think she could do the same thing.

We had small chitchat and she went about her afternoon, but my conversation with this girl left me thinking. I say that I want everything I do to honor and glorify God. Since the beginning of my relationship with Joseph, I have prayed that it would honor and glorify God, and if it doesn’t then what is the point? I love Joseph and there is no doubt in my mind that he is the man that God has for me, but without God our relationship is nothing. I view our relationship as a gift, and if I don’t glorify God with the gift that He has so graciously given to me, then I am doing a disservice to Him.

Through this conversation with this young girl, I was reminded that my relationship, my future marriage, can be used to bring glory to God. After all, He brought us together, He holds us together, and He is the reason I have no doubt that we will have a successful and blessed life together. This reminder from God gave me peace and reassurance. God has been good to me. I have been given so much more than I deserve in this life, including my relationship with Joseph. How can I not give that relationship to Him and allow Him to use it for Kingdom work? And this carries over into every area of my life. Whether it is my other relationships with friends and family, my job, my interactions with others, or simply how I respond when getting cut off in traffic, I should be examining every area of my life to see how I am glorifying God.

I would encourage you to do the same thing. How are you glorifying God in your life? How are you letting Him shine through you? This example is just one of many ways I know God is being glorified, not only in my relationship with Joseph, but in my life in general.