"Love is Faithful"

Love is the basis of Christianity; it’s what sets us apart. As God’s beloved children, Jesus commands us to love God with all our heart, soul, strength and mind as well as to love one another (Luke 10:27). But what happens when the love we were created to share is no longer accepted by our spouse? Love Dare uses Hosea’s story to answer this.

God instructs Hosea to marry an adulteress woman. This sounds crazy, but there is divine logic behind it. God wants this marriage to reflect the unconditional love that He has for His people. Hosea marries Gomer, but she was unwilling to remain faithful to him. She rejects his love for the lust of others. Later, God tells Hosea to show his love to his wife again. Now being sold as a slave, he pays to redeem Gomer and take her back.

Please know that Hosea’s story is unique. It should not be construed as a command to tolerate unrepentant adultery. The true interpretation is to see it as a picture of God’s faithful love for us, even when we are undeserving and spurn it. In Him, we have the model of what rejected love does. God continues showing us grace and mercy. He remains faithful.

Jesus’ call to love one another includes our enemies (Luke 6:27–35). On their wedding day, newlyweds never envision their spouse becoming an adversary; one that someday would be difficult to love and require painful sacrifice. Yet this is not uncommon and may lead to betrayal or unfaithfulness. For many, this is the beginning of the end. Some will move rapidly to divorce. Others may withdraw and dwell in silent misery. Some will live in marital détente. Several may even try to protect their reputation by falsely projecting a “content marriage.” But in all these situations, there is no intention of liking it or working harder, much less learning how to truly love again.

But this is not how Christians are to live. We are called to share God’s love with others. You’ve heard this before: Love is a choice, not a feeling. It is an initiated action, not an impulsive response. So choose to be committed to love, even if your spouse has lost interest in receiving it. Say to them “I love you. And no matter what you do, I will never stop loving you.” Most importantly, back up your words with actions.

Faithful loving may be relatively easy for some while seemingly impossible for others. But regardless of where your relationship stands, do not take this issue lightly. Your hope of giving undeserved love to your spouse rests in God’s repeated giving of His undeserved love to you. Love is often expressed the most to those who deserve it the least. Ask Him to fill you with His love, then lavish it on your spouse in a manner that reflects your gratitude for God loving you. That’s the beauty of redeeming love. That’s the power of faithfulness!