Jesus spoke these very words in His prayer found in John 17:4: “I have glorified thee on the earth.” He had done all His Father had given Him to do as the rest of the verse states: “I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” Jesus spoke to all believers through this age in John 15:8 saying that we too should seek to glorify our Father.

Fellow Christians, such a statement from our Savior to us should flood our very hearts with joy and great desire to finish the work which our Father has given us to do. Jesus said in verse 8: “Herein is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.”

Submission, beloved, submission must be our passion. That which drives us must be abiding in our Savior’s love. Jesus has loved us as our Father has loved Him, verse 9. In this same verse He gave us a commission, “. . .continue in my love.” Someone may ask, how do I abide in Jesus’ love? The sovereign Lord knows our very thoughts before we have them. Verse 10 says: “If ye keep my commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my fathers commandments, and abide in his love.”

A dedicated Christian will seek God’s grace by the power of the Holy Spirit, being led by God’s Word to put to death all sinfulness as it is revealed to him. As the believer commits to obedience, less of self is seen and more of Christ comes forth. Self or works of the flesh is very evident and Christ when manifest in a believer’s life is very evident and either is easily seen. The Christian who is living for self will show works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21). If the Christian by submission to God’s Word, walks in the Spirit, this Christian shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal. 5:16).

The Christian who seeks to glorify his Father as Jesus said, must bear fruits unto righteousness. This fruit must come forth by the Holy Spirit who is working in a soul that is abiding in Christ’s love. Obedience to God will replace the works of the flesh for fruits of the Spirit, (Gal. 5:22-24), which will glorify God on the earth.

Jesus said in John 15:4 that we cannot bear fruit unless we abide in Him, and in verse 10 that abiding in Him is obeying Him. We must obey His commands to abide in His love. We must abide in His love to bear fruit, we must bear fruit to glorify Him.

Let us remember that God’s word says in Ephesians 2:8, 9 that salvation is not to be worked for, but is by grace through faith in Jesus’ shed blood; though saying faith is evidenced by works of the Holy Spirit in the believer, through abiding in Christ’s love. God’s grace can easily be seen in the death of Jesus on the cross for sinners, and is just as easily seen in the life of the believer who is submissive to Christ as a servant to their Master. It is by faith we must come to so great a salvation---the forgiveness of sins. Romans 5:6 says that Christ died for the ungodly. All who are without faith in Christ are what the Bible calls ungodly, and under the wrath of God. Romans 10:9 says that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead you will be saved. It is also important to remember that this very text says Lord Jesus, not just Jesus. One must by the Holy Spirit and God’s Word become a servant to Christ. Lord in this text implies Master. By confessing one must agree with God that Jesus is Master, which means obedience to Him.

A strong mature Christian who abides in Christ’s love from a heart filled with love for Him will by the Holy Spirit manifest Christ’s character, not a character of the flesh. He will have a great desire to seek to glorify God with much earnestness.

May our Father be glorified in our lives as we learn and grow in submission to His will and finish all the work the Father has for each of us to do. And like Jesus, say: “(Father) I have glorified thee on the earth.”