After making one final address to His disciples before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed to the Father. He knew that “the hour has come” for the Father to “glorify [His] Son, that the Son may glorify [Him]” (John 17:1). This would be done through the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus from the dead.
However, Jesus had already glorified the Father throughout His earthly life. Notice how He said He did this: “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4).
This is an important point to remember as we also seek to glorify God in our lives. Many religious people think they can do almost anything, just as long as they intend to please God and are sincere in their efforts. Yet Jesus glorified the Father by doing the work He was given to do.
This is the same thing we need to do. Paul told Timothy that the Scriptures have “equipped [us] for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Rather than doing whatever we think will please God, we must look to His word to see what He has told us to do.
So remember how to glorify God. Like Jesus, we need to carry out the work God has given us. No matter how sincere we may be, doing something different from this will not bring honor to Him.