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“I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do.”
– Jesus, praying on the night of His betrayal (John 17:4)

I’ve always found it interesting that Jesus defined glorifying God as doing the work the Father had given him.

Obedience to the Father’s will = Father receiving glory.

We can apply this to ourselves as Christ’s followers too. Jesus receives glory when we accomplish the task that he has given us. If the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever, we might ask: how best do we glorify and enjoy God? The way Jesus glorified the Father was by fulfilling the mission.

This is why I’m encouraged to see the recent talk about “missional identity” within evangelicalism and “Great Commission Resurgence” in Southern Baptist life. Too often, we think of glorifying God in abstract terms. Instead, our concern to glorify the Father ought to drive us to ask bigger questions about the Church’s mission on earth.

Acts tells us that King David died, only after fulfilling God’s purposes for him in his generation. In the same way, for such a time as this, God has placed each one of us in a certain location and has charged us to spread the news and fragrance of his kingdom.

Jesus could boldly say that God the Father had been glorified, because – as the Son – he had finished the master plan that had been set out for him from the beginning of time. We, in turn, must not relegate our worship to a passive, once-a-week event that makes us feel good.

Instead, we must exemplify the lifestyle of worship that has at its center, the will and purposes of Almighty God, who has loved, saved, and regenerated us “according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will.”

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