Glorifying God by David Jeremiah

 

Glorifying God By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. John 15:8 In a modern vineyard, there are three elements: the grapes, the vines, and the vintner—the winemaker. When a wine wins an award, it is not the grape that is honored, nor is the vine dug up and rewarded. Rather, it is the vintner, the winemaker, who is praised for the quality of the wine.

Recommended Reading: John 15: 1 – 8

Jesus drew a similar parallel in John 15 in His teaching on bearing fruit. He said His followers are branches that bear the fruit; He is the vine and the Father is the vinedresser or vintner (verse 1). His point is that when we as believers stay connected to the true Vine, Jesus, we will bear much fruit—or at least that is the plan. We stay connected by abiding in Jesus and allowing His words to abide in us (verse 7). The result is that the Father will be glorified when we abide in Jesus and bear much fruit. The glory is not ours; the glory is the Father’s (verse 8). It is God’s will for us to bear much fruit in His Name—that is how we glorify the Father. In short, good works are the fruit of saving faith.  R. B. Kuiper