God's Love

Understanding God's love and experiencing God's love are different. We all want to experience God's love which is unfailing and brings total acceptance, forgiveness, grace and blessing, and it is the shelter during adversities. But seldom we would want to know more deeply the price God pays to love us.

I always feel sorry for Hosea. Who would ever want to marry someone who is known for his/ her adulterous pursuits? But God asked him to commit himself to an unfaithful woman no matter how badly she has betrayed and hurt him. Hosea would probably have struggled for some time before doing so. But from this traumatising relationship, he would have had a taste of the way God loves the mankind.

For the rest of my life, I will still sin and hurt God the same way. Although I don't want to hurt God, but I know I will still stumble and fall for my weaknesses and temptations. If I truely understood how deeply my sins have hurt God's heart, I would probably be stronger and would not give in to temptations so easily. But it requires great courage to ask for this lesson. The price cannot be easily paid for.

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Relentless Love
(http://www.namb.net/site/apps/nl/newsletter.asp?c=9qKILUOzEpH&b=687605)

Then the Lord said to me, "Go again, love a woman who is loved by a lover and is committing adultery, just like the love of the Lord for the children of Israel, who look to other gods and love the raisin cakes of the pagans."HOSEA 3:1

"No human can comprehend God's love for His children! Our limited experience of human love hinders us from understanding God's unconditional love for us. We can see a picture of this love in the life of Hosea.

Hosea was a righteous man, but God told him to marry a sinful woman. Hosea obeyed and took Gomer as his wife. He cherished her and treated her with dignity, and respect. Never before had Gomer experienced this kind of love, but she soon grew dissatisfied. She began giving her affections to other men. She became so involved in adulterous pursuits that finally she abandoned Hosea altogether. Other men used her until she had nothing left to give. Then they sold her into slavery. After this, God gave Hosea an amazing command: ""Go and buy her back."" Despite the intense pain and hurt that Gomer had inflicted on him, God told Hosea to forgive her and to pay, any price to bring her back into his home.

God's message is clear: When we reject Him and turn our devotion elsewhere, our rejection carries the same pain as an adulterous betrayal. After all God has done for us, it is incomprehensible that we should reject Him. It is even harder to fathom that God could love us even after we have rejected, ignored, and disobeyed Him. Yet God's love is completely different from ours. His love follows us to the depths of our sinfulness until He has reclaimed us. His love is undaunted when we run from Him, and He continues to pursue us. What incredible love He has demonstrated to us!"