In John 17.22, Jesus communicates very subtly an important truth. We know from our study of the entire Bible that Jesus was involved in the creation of the world and has always existed as God the Son. We know He is not a created being—Jesus is just as much the "I AM that I AM" of Exodus as God the Father.
Yet the opening words of John 17.22 states that Jesus received glory from the Father.
"And the glory which thou gavest me…"
Notice the acknowledgment of the father-son relationship and the incredible example Jesus provides. From all eternity Jesus has always seen His Father as the source of glory.
Jesus uses the single word "glory" to describe every unique and distinct attribute that makes God awesome, excellent, and indescribable.
Powerful, wise, merciful, loving, compassionate, just, perfect, truthful, without sin, eternal and on and on would all fall under the word "glory."
Glory is what makes God God. Take any adjective listed above and when it comes to God it is perfectly manifested. For example I said truthful—but the reality is that God is truth. So He is truthful but to a degree that humans can never obtain because He is the Truth.
James 1.17 says it like this, "every good and perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of Lights, with whom there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."
Take an attribute like compassionate and make it perfect—that is no variableness—by this I believe James means when it comes to compassion God is perfectly compassionate. There is never a time when he isn't compassionate and He perfectively balances compassion with His other attributes.
We must follow the Son of God's example and acknowledge that anything that resembles the glory of God—wisdom, strength, mercy and honor, etc. in our lives—all comes from the Father.
When we do this He is most appropriately glorified—He increases and we decrease.
