Promised Hope!

August 6, 2026

Promised Hope!

One of the saddest things I have experienced is when some hurt I have caused leads to distance in or even the destruction of a relationship I value. It can happen so quickly.

+A word spoken but not thought through, an action that was less than kind and considerate, or an assumption held without asking for clarity can cause distance or even destroy a relationship.

+A quick judgment, an unloving bias, or an unforgiving heart, can cause distance or even destroy a relationship.

+A failure to speak up for a friend, a failure to do something in kindness, or a failure to be silent rather than speak can cause distance or even destroy a relationship.

It is easier than we can imagine to end up in an strained relationship. From time to time, we all do evil things, we all think ugly thoughts, and we all develop less than loving attitudes. All of these things can cause heart-ache and heart-break with the people about whom we care.

These same things can and do happen in our relationship with Jesus. We experience the distance, the strain, and the stress with Jesus and want the relationship restored. In his letter to the church in Colossae, Paul is addressing Jesus’ desire when our relationship with Him is strained.      

In Colossians 1:21-23 the Apostle Paul writes; “And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him, provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a minister of this gospel.”

There is not one of us who at one time or another have not experienced distance in our relationship with Jesus. Unfortunately, we do not have what it takes to reconcile and restore a broken relationship with Jesus. The good news is Jesus does possess the power and the love and the desire to heal what is broken in our relationship with our Father in Heaven.

In Colossians 1:22 Paul reminds us; “…he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him…” Paul tells us that through the death of Jesus on a cross, Jesus did what needed to be done to present us as holy and blameless before our Father in heaven. The good news is by Jesus’ suffering and death, we can live in a right relationship with Jesus.

Our sin is forgiven. Our life is transformed. Our future is changed. Our relationship with Jesus is new every morning; we are reconciled with Jesus!  

There is more good news! The broken relationship with our friend or family member or neighbor or team-mate or co-worker can be reconciled by the same power and the same love and the same cross that reconciles our relationship with Jesus.

Later in his letter to the Colossians (3:13) Paul writes; “Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”

You are to forgive other people in the same way that Jesus has forgiven you.

+You are to forgive that obstinate person who keeps resisting you like Jesus has forgiven you.

+You are to forgive that abusive person who keeps crushing you like Jesus has forgiven you.

+You are to forgive that manipulative person who keeps controlling you like Jesus has forgiven you.

+You are to forgive that unhealthy person who keeps hooking your emotions like Jesus has forgiven you.

+You are to forgive that addicted person who keeps disappointing you like Jesus has forgiven you.

+You are to forgive that insensitive person who keeps slighting you like Jesus has forgiven you.

+You are to forgive that self-serving person who keeps betraying you like Jesus has forgiven you.

+You are to forgive that ex-spouse who keeps using your child to hurt you like Jesus has forgiven you.

+You are to forgive that unfaithful person who keeps breaking your trust like Jesus has forgiven you.

+You are to forgive that mentally ill person who keeps manipulating you like Jesus has forgiven you.

+You are to forgive that other person…

No matter what stress or strain or distance or destruction the other person has caused in your relationship with them, you are called to forgive them like Jesus has forgiven you.

Forgiveness does not mean your relationship with that person will be fully restored. Forgiveness does mean you release your heart, mind, and soul from the control and power of unforgiveness so you are free to live without the burden of the stress and strain of unforgiveness.

As you engage in the work of forgiveness, please remember two things. First, depending on how you have been hurt not every person may be safe to approach. This reality can mean you have to do the work of forgiveness without being alone in their physical presence.

Second, the kind of forgiveness to which we are called is one that Jesus offers through His suffering and death on a cross. This is not a cheap or easy forgiveness; it cost Jesus His life!

Forgiving another person like Jesus has forgiven you may cost you something, too. You may have to swallow your pride, let go of unforgiveness, change your attitude, give them a chance to respond, stop focusing on a past hurt, ask for a time to meet, invite the Holy Spirit to guide your words, humble your heart in their presence, etc.

And yet, the promise of the Gospel is forgiveness and reconciliation and abundant life come through faith in Jesus. Forgiveness opens up more than we can imagine or hope or pray. Maybe today is the day to forgive…again! When you do, your heart will fill with delight in the goodness and grace and generosity of Jesus.

Take Delight In The Lord!

Doug