Glory through Giving
Opening Prayer
Lord, Your relationship with the Father is beyond my comprehension.
Read JOHN 17:1–5
After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2 For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4 I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
To what extent is your view of God guided by seeing that he is an amazing Giver?
Think Further
When you are in a close relationship with someone, you want to get to know them more and more and discover all you can about them. Sometimes that might mean finding out things that are difficult, which may challenge the relationship, but part of truly loving and accepting someone is to love them “warts and all.” Verse 3 tells us that eternal life is to know both the Father and Jesus. This is profound. It implies a deeper relationship with them, with demands and yet rewards that are beyond our imagination, as we discover how generous they are in the way both relate to us.
The verb “to give” occurs 17 times in this chapter (and 76 times in this gospel). Both Father and Son are generous givers. All things have been given by the Father to the Son. This unifies them because they share everything. The Son has and does everything the Father has and does (John 5:19–23; 10:29,30; 13:3; 17:10). The intimacy of their relationship is the key to everything. It is also the key to our walk with God and eventual entry into eternal life (3). To see the Father is now to be equated with seeing the Son in his proper and
unique place, right beside the Father. Hence God’s glory is glory “as of the only Son from the Father” (John 1:14, ESV).
We were created to glorify God. If our chief aim is “to glorify God and to enjoy him forever” (Westminster Catechism), then we are to serve his mission in this world (“glory on earth”; 4). Service and witness sit together, witness itself being a form of service, honoring both Father and Son through the Spirit who guides us. In all of our lives, we are to strive for his glory.
Apply
How does the relationship with your mother and father affect that of our heavenly Father? Do you struggle with trusting God the Father due to parental relationships as you were growing up?
Closing prayer
Lord, reveal to me Your desire for deep relationship. Help me to rejoice that You are the great Giver whose perfect plan and glory may sustain me at all times.
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