A new twist

This blog, we can all agree, has been severely under-utilized since its inception almost a year ago. This is partly due to laziness on my half, but also because of the framework in which I set up the posts as a crossover between military life and spiritual parallels. I started strong, but have suffered writer's block down the stretch. In that light, I am going to strike out in a new direction. My idea is take an expository look at the "verse 'o the day" as posted on the Air 1 (my favorite radio station) web site. This will not be an everyday occurrence, and I certainly will not limit my postings to just that, but rather it will (hopefully) give me an avenue for more frequent postings and serve to place me more firmly in the Word more often than I have been to date.

Today's Verse:
"Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can have great confidence as we hold to the hope that lies before us." Hebrews 6:18-19 NLT

As Rev. Ralph Walter says, "First we have to look at what the Therefore is there for." The therefore refers to the infallibility and unchanging nature of God's promises; specifically our salvation through Christ. Earlier in the chapter (v.13-17) Paul speaks of God's promise to Abraham, that because there was nothing higher God swore on his own name to bless Abraham and multiply him beyond count (Gen 22:16-18). This is where the great confidence comes from that we as heirs of Christ can lay claim to.

Finally, what is "the Hope that lies before us"? Paul speaks often of hope, and in this case that hope is the hope spelled out more fully in Titus 2:13, "[we are] looking for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ."
As such, I can read Hebrews 6:18 as: Because God promised the truthfulness of this on himself, I can go to him for shelter and be sure that Christ will return one day as my personal savior.