God intended that marriages would glorify Him. In His wisdom, God instituted marriage with the intention of letting the man and his wife "fill the earth and subdue it" (Genesis 1:27-29) for His glory and pleasure.

Because of sin, that beautiful design has been snatched away and has been degraded to a power struggle between the husband and the wife. Since the fall of Adam and Eve, marriages have been challenged with various issues. However, with Christ breaking the power of sin, there is hope for all marriages to be restored into its original purpose: a union that glorifies God and pleases Him.

Evaluate yourself. Does your marriage bring glory to God? Here are some things you should consider to gauge if your marriage glorifies God.

1) Does my marriage help me draw closer to God?

We all know that Adam and Eve sinned by disobeying God's command not to eat the forbidden fruit (see Gen. 3). But instead of urging each other to come before the Lord in humility, repentance and surrender, they chose to hide in the covering of leaves, and make coverings for themselves.

Ask yourself: does your marriage motivate you to come and draw closer to the Lord in humble submission?

2) Does my marriage prioritise God?

In Acts 5 we read the story of Ananias and Sapphira, a couple in the early church who "lied to the Holy Spirit" by participating in the sharing of belongings deceitfully and for selfish gain.

Here's what happened: In Acts 4, the early church members shared what they had to meet the needs of their brethren. Some of them, like Barnabas, sold personal properties so that they could freely give to the church.

Now, one couple, a man named Ananias and his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property. But instead of giving the full proceeds, Ananias decided to keep back some amount for himself. He did this with the full consent of his wife, and made it appear that it was the price they had sold the property for.

In short, they connived together to deceive the church, getting both money for themselves while being honored for 'being a generous couple.'

Ask yourself: does your marriage prioritise God or yourselves? Are you working together to bring glory to God or for selfish gain?  God should be the topmost priority of your union, and not you or your spouse or what things you can get together.

3) Does my marriage bring people to Christ?

In Acts 18 we find a couple named Aquila and Priscilla. They were tentmakers who became Paul's co-workers (see Acts 18:2-4, 18; Romans 16:3), and a couple who instructed Apollos in "the Way of the Lord" (v. 24-26).

Ask yourself: does your marriage further the spread of the gospel into people's lives? Does your marriage help build up other Christians in the Lord?

Marriages that give glory to God go beyond "looking Christian." Such marriages bring Christ's gospel into the world.