“Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites” [Hosea 3:1(NIV)]

“Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites”. Gomer had a history of unfaithfulness, even when Hosea first married her. An adulterous wife is not good for your reputation, especially when you are a prophet of the Lord. But the Lord is not so concerned about reputations. Jesus made that clear in His ministry.
God’s call on Hosea is the same for the Church today. We are to have this sort of love; for each other as well as for the world. Accepting people irrespective of reputations, is a huge challenge, but then that’s just what Christ has done with each of us. As the Lord loves us, so we must reach out in love to others. Love and forgiveness go hand in hand and if we are not willing to share what we have received, then we’ll be the poorer for it.