Sabbath: Reconciliation and Hope
Daily Lesson for Sabbath 21st of February 2026
Image © Pacific Press
Read for This Week’s Study
Colossians 1:20-29, Ephesians 5:27, Ephesians 3:17, Romans 8:18, Ephesians 1:7-10, Ephesians 3:3-6, Proverbs 14:12.
Memory Text: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Paul continues the theme of reconciliation, which was so vividly highlighted in Colossians 1:20 (see Lesson 8, Thursday). There he described its cosmic scope, while what follows it becomes personal and individual. Through His death on the cross, Jesus has accomplished reconciliation for everyone and everything, especially human beings, who were alienated from the life of God through sin, but now can be reconciled to Him through faith.
The process of individual reconciliation is unpacked in this week’s passage. As with the cosmic sphere, it happens through the death of Christ. On the individual level, the cross, far from being a passive symbol, becomes an active reality, with God’s love transforming people as they hear the gospel and receive Christ Himself, the hope of glory.
Paul also talks about “the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations” (Colossians 1:26, NKJV). What is this mystery, and what all does it envision—for the individual and for the universe? How does this “mystery” relate to the gospel that Paul has so passionately proclaimed?
I am camping in the Australian bush, so I don’t have a lot of time to comment today. This is how the angel described the work of John the Baptist:
If we are preparing the way of the Lord today, one of our tasks should be family reconciliation. A practical demonstration of God’s reconciliation.
Softening the hearts of parents to children.This is a picture of family reconciliation. It means restoring love, responsibility, and spiritual leadership within families. It involves healing generational wounds, bitterness, and broken relationships. It speaks of parents reconnecting emotionally and spiritually with their children.
Spiritual revival often begins in the home. A reconciled family becomes fertile ground for God’s work.
Family reconciliation is evidence and prophetic sign that people are being prepared for the Lord.
One thing I know for sure is the joy and happiness when a family reconciles. The Bible (Colossians 1:19-20) records that God the Father was so pleased to see what Jesus did on the cross. The cross not only made it possible for cosmic reconciliation, but also for individual reconciliation as well. More than ever, our families need more and genuine reconciliation. Our families are under great attack. More often than not, many families are fragmented, dominated by the evil spirit of hatred and strife. However, it must be stressed from the onset that there will be no meaningful family reconciliation until individual family members reconcile with God. Reconciliation requires a transformed heart. We who have been called from darkness into the marvellous light (1 Peter 2:9) of Lord Jesus Christ must be champions of reconciliation in our families. In fact, an appeal has been made to us to be the catalyst for peace (Romans 12:17–21)
God reconciling the world unto Himself (Colossians 1:20) was a very costly venture indeed. Likewise, family reconciliation will demand sacrifices particularly on our part as Children of God. We must swallow personal pride, apologise, forgive, choose humility and let “win” go. We must never ever miss to recognise the need for reconciliation. Let us reflect on the following:
1. God’s image is restored in reconciled relationships.
2. The true message of the gospel is demonstrated
3. Love triumph over hatred, strife, enmity and selfishness
4. Peace wins against division
5. Restoration succeeds over destruction.
6. Reconciliation brings peace.
“For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So, we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” (2 Corinthians 5: 19-20, NLT).
Love it brother 🙌 Amen.
Jesus Christ often used stories and parables drawn from everyday life to communicate deep spiritual truths, especially the themes of hope and reconciliation. Throughout the Bible, we see that God is focused on restoring His broken relationship with humanity. Sin brought separation and alienation, creating a gap between God and His people. In the Old Testament, reconciliation was expressed through sacrifices, as seen in 2 Chronicles 29:24, where the priests made a sin offering to atone for Israel. These sacrifices pointed toward God’s desire not to condemn His people, but to bring them back into fellowship with Him.
The message of hope reaches its fullness in Christ. Writing to believers, the apostle Paul reminded the church that though they were once alienated from God—rebellious in their thinking and separated by evil actions—Christ reconciled them through His death on the cross and brought them into God’s holy presence. In 2 Corinthians 5:19, Paul declares that “God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself.” This powerful truth reveals that reconciliation is God’s initiative and gift, offering hope to all who believe. Paul urges the new testament Christians to remain grounded and steadfast in their faith, and not to be distracted, but be firmly rooted in the bond of trust restored through Christ.
Cannot be said too often:”Reconciliation is God’s initiative and gift..!” Reminds of Jesus telling his disciples: I pray *not* the Father for you, for the Father Himself loves you you!” John 16:27a.
It appears to me that the ‘cross’ has become to many believers nothing more than a ‘relic’, identifying them outwardly as a follower of Jesus. If we would look at it as the symbol of our shame, would we still be hanging it around our neck?
What is the mystery God presented to the world? Is it not the by His holy Spirit ‘inspired work of taking up His cross by Faith’? It started with Jesus’ birth, continuing as He faithfully dedicated Himself to fulfill God’s ‘call’, and ultimately laying down His Life for all to see. But this was not the end – His Father brought Him back to life to declare His Plan of Salvation by Faith to be available to all mankind.
We cannot only focus on Jesus’ physical death on the cross, we need to focus on the Life He lived and proclaimed for us to be able to live by faith. Do we understand/know the ‘mystery’ Jesus believed in and demonstrated throughout His Life, which would even bring Him back to life after His death – explicitly trusting and having faith in His Father’s Word?
Have we overlooked that Jesus’ started to carry His cross as soon as He was born, having been declared the King’s enemy and all in leadership opposed to accept the New Covenant – Salvation by Faith by those who love Him – available to all, not only those born a decendent of Abraham?
Reconciliation and Hope is available now to Gentiles and Jews alike – all who accept Jesus Christ to be God’s Son having been given to us by our heavenly Father to be our Savior – filling us with His Spirit unto everlasting life – Matt.5:3-12; Luke 6:20-26.
Here is a true marriage reconciliation story I heard. Scott was a missionary to Guatemala and stayed with a family who had an eldest daughter, Ruth, unmarried with a baby. He asked her parents if he could court her and made several trips back-and-forth from Colorado to Guatemala to date her. On their wedding day, Ruth told Scott that she was the happiest woman in the world.
But then she had to wait several months before she could get her green card visa to come live with him in the United States. During that time, she met another man and developed feelings for him. When her visa came, she felt a duty to stay with Scott, her husband, and so she moved to Colorado. But through seven years of marriage, they had a sort of distance between them. Scott could feel something off, a barrier in her compared to their initial trusting love. He initiated marriage counseling… she agreed to go only if he would sign divorce papers. Ruth went to the counseling, but wasn’t really listening.
At this time, she had an affair with another man and got pregnant. When she was in the hospital birthing that baby, the father of that child had left her and so she called Scott and asked him to come be with her. He did. Eight months later, Ruth was living alone with her baby, she called Scott again in the middle of the night weeping that the baby had a very dangerously high fever. Scott asked if she would like him to come over and bring them to the hospital and she said yes. He asked if they could pray first, and he prayed for her and the baby, claiming promises of healing. Miraculously, the fever vanished at that moment. The baby was healthy again. Ruth had said previously during counseling that it would take a miracle for them to get back together, and when her baby was healed she took this as the miracle sign. She asked Scott if they could go to counseling again. This time she was invested and listening and wanting the marriage to work. Now they have been remarried and Scott adopted the little girl.
Doesn’t this sound like the prophet Hosea’s story, too? Scott played this role of a patient, forgiving, loving husband who sacrificed his own feelings and his own comfort to continue to support , protect , intercede for, and provide for his wife and then ex-wife and then wife again. Scott sounds like Jesus, providing all of the energy and resources for reconciliation with God. And we are often like Rose, constantly thinking someone else is better for us, and only turning back to God when we have hit a low, and God is the only one left standing who is faithful to us. And like Scott, God does not hold this against us. Through Jesus, we are called the bride of Christ, and He tells us that there will be a day of rejoicing in the future when He will come to take His bride, who He has made pure and faithful, home to live with Him forever (Eph. 5:25-27; Rev. 21:2).
Scott’s and Ruth’s story ended by saying that they’ve been to marriage counseling several times at Ruth’s request as she wants to continue to grow in her expression of love for Scott. Again, this is like us with God. We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). We long to know Him better and to show Him our love more deeply as He continues to love us so much. 🙏🏻❤️
Reconciliation requires a decision; a daily decision for the truth. Jesus is the truth, the light, and the transparency; He is the bridge to God, but we need to step forward and move. Thank God for His Son.
Reconciliation is about the restoration of peace,hope,love,unity,and trust.
Christ reconciled all to Himself by His death on the cross, it is our choice to stay there, or if first time to be drawn to Christ for what He has done for us. It is our choice to let Him redeem us through the power of the Holy Spirit and His shining followers. The truth is, all of us came to Him by the influence of others. With one exception the jungles, where there is no contact with a Christian or the light of Christ by one form or another. If we are drawn to Christ and allow Him to follow through with reconciliation, are not we redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb? Yes. How can we say we are redeemed if we don’t turn to Him in surrender of our lives to Him? We can’t. Yet when we turn to Him, He saves us to the uttermost. Hebrews 7:25.
Like JC said you need to step forward and move(on your convictions). Abraham stepped forward on God’s request and God made Him a shining light that shines unto this day. We say what difference does one light make. There you go looking at self. One shining light added to a thousand others has a big impact. I like it how past weeks studies ties together to give us the full picture.