During one of the conversations Jesus has, He shares something that I find incredibly profound and powerful. In verse 18, Jesus shares, “He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who is seeking the glory of the One who sent Him, He is true, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”
Jesus is talking about Himself, and how He came to glorify God to humanity. He is taking the role of an ambassador (someone who goes to a foreign country and represents the leaders in the home country) and as an ambassador, His purpose is to direct the glory to God and not on Himself.
This paints an interesting idea if we broaden the idea from being exclusively on Jesus to focusing on God’s church. If we are truly being disciples of Jesus, we will be focused on giving God the glory, because He is who sent us, just as He sent Jesus. If we are seeking our own glory, then we are speaking for ourselves and there may be unrighteousness in us.
Giving God the glory—all the glory—is what we have been called to do as ambassadors of God’s Kingdom. Giving God all the glory will guard against pride creeping into our lives. Pride comes when we seek our own glory, and according to this verse, seeking our own glory comes alongside speaking from ourselves—which is also counter to the nature of Jesus.
When we give God the glory He deserves (which is all of it if you are honest with yourself), God will hold up the closing phrase in this verse and work to cleanse you from your unrighteousness. This is what scholars call “sanctification”, and it is the work of God cleansing your life, throughout the span of your life, as you continually grow closer and closer to Him. Giving God the glory—all the glory—leads to a sanctified life with God!
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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