Glory to the Father (3)

In my previous post, I wrote that answering our prayers enables Jesus to bring glory to His Father. A wonderful thought and the desire of His heart.

I furthermore reasoned that it would be wonderful for all the sons and daughters of God (us) to bring glory to our heavenly Father. How? By doing His will on earth as it is in heaven.

Now Jesus knew this to be true as well. He told His disciples (John 15:8):

👉When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.

We are asked to produce MUCH fruit, not just a little. What does it mean to produce fruit? In my humble opinion, it means that godly character is visible in our lives, in the things we do or say (read Galatians 5:22-25). People will see God through us, just as they saw the Father through Jesus when He walked the earth.

We can do many things, good works even, but only if inspired by Jesus will it count for eternity. He said: Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me (John 15:4).

He even goes on (verse 5) to say that apart from Him we can do nothing! Let me put it this way, trying to be fruitful outside of Him, is useless and a waste of time. It does not bring glory to the Father. But being true disciples does!

Glory to the Father (2)

'Jesus wants to bring glory to the Father', I wrote in my previous post. How do we know this? Let's take a look at His words as written down in John 14:12-14,

I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.

You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father. Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!

If we ask for anything in the name of Jesus, He will do it. Why? 👉Because that way He can bring glory to the Father. Think about that, answering our prayers enables Jesus to bring glory to His Father.

Some translations say that the Father can be glorified in the Son. I find that a fascinating thought. It must be Jesus' joy to answer our prayers, doing what the Father wants Him to do! Again, you might wonder why. The Bible says it is God's desire that His will is being done on earth, as it is being done in heaven. No difference, just the same.

Oh my goodness, Jesus did the will of the Father, for sure. But what if we would do the will of the Father here on earth? We, as His sons and daughters, would also bring glory to our heavenly Father. What a joy that will be, for all of us 😁

His will is His Word (the Bible). Let me give you His will, the size of a refrigerator magnet:

Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Glory to the Father (1)

My very first blog series this year will be about the glory that we can bring to God the Father. A fascinating topic that deserves a closer look.

👉I hope you will join me in the coming weeks.

The word 'glory' as found in the Bible has a wide range of meanings, such as praise, splendor, honor, and brilliance, all from the base meaning of the awesome light that radiates from God's presence and is associated with His acts of power, honor, and praise (source: Strongest Concordance).

Now, within Christianity, we often hear (or utter) the phrase: 'All glory goes to Jesus', and rightly so. But the Bible also speaks about Jesus bringing glory to the Father. It was His desire to bring glory to His Father and I think the same desire should live in the hearts of all the other children of God!

In this blog series, I want to specifically look into the glory that Jesus wants to bring to His Father as it is mentioned in John, chapters 14, 15, 16, and 17. In these chapters it becomes clear how Jesus wants to give glory to His Father and I believe His actions should greatly encourage us in our daily lives.

I will keep my posts short and I hope you will read along!