"And the LORD said to me, 'Go again, love a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, even as the LORD loves the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love cakes of raisins.'" -- Hosea 3:1

In a day when divorce is the first path of response to unfaithfulness, we find a lingering picture of redemptive love. As you read the prophecy of Hosea this week, keep in mind the theme of "God's Unquenchable Love". When we look into the love of God, we will always find that He loves His children with an "everlasting love". (Jeremiah 31:3)

In the opening pages we find Hosea commanded to marry Gomer, a women given to marital unfaithfulness. As the days pass, she becomes involved with another man, just as Israel had been involved with other gods. The above direction was given to visibly portray the forgiving and redeeming love of the Lord to the wayward soul. This occasion reminds us of Romans 5:8, "God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Have you experienced the love of God my friend? And if you have been forgiven by such love, have there been moments of sinful failure that made you think that all was lost with the Lord? Just remember that the love of God never changes, for "“…God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:4-5) We who have been saved by such love and grace will always find forgiveness and renewal to begin again.