1 Timothy 1:11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
The Gospel is about the LORD. This might shock you, having been accustomed to hearing about our salvation and restoration that it includes. But the Gospel, the Good News, is about what God does. The whole Scriptures from beginning to end is about Him.
He is the One who created this whole universe, and any other universes that might exist. He created all the dimensions, even beyond the dimensions that science says exist. He created dark matter and the matter we normally bump into on a daily basis. He created it all.
Just this should cause us to recognize the glory of God. For a being to create all this out of nothing, on His own initiative, for His own purposes, and then create us with the ability to observe even a portion of what He created, this should cause us to look up as a child filled with wonder looks at a balloon for the first time. We can never understand the how and when, but we can understand the why.
The LORD created this whole place as a showcase of His glory. And we become beings who have the privilege of participating in His working. He allows us the ability to make choices that please Him, that reflect His character, that showcase His glory. What a blessing!
Paul in this pastoral letter to the much younger Timothy is encouraging Timothy by writing this letter. There are those that are getting sidetracked in their faith by teachers who are like fireflies. They pretend to have some light, some glory apart from the glory of God already shown in the Gospel. They have gotten off track through focusing on some knowledge that they have acquired.
I say they are like fireflies for a reason. In the darkness of the night fireflies telegraph their location with faint flashes of light. As a kid I used to gather them and put them in a jar, thinking that somehow the jar filled with fireflies would provide light.
But compared to the Sun, the fireflies’ light is nothing. If they flashed their light during the day, no one would every notice them. Their light is insignificant. And during the night the only purpose they fulfill is to telegraph their position.
So it is with the false teachers of Paul’s day, those he warns Timothy to avoid. Their knowledge of myths and genealogies is insignificant. It has no value compared to the glory of God that is revealed in the Gospel. If you are wanting light, and you have a choice of source, choose the Sun, not a firefly.
If you want to see the glory of God, choose the Gospel. It shines brightly. It illuminates the world, showing how the Creator God wants us to reflect Him in this world.
The Arnold Journey 