Hosea 3

  Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart.

{1 Peter 1:22} (NIV1984)

Reconciliation is more than the ending of hostility. Hostility must end, and there must be a stop to the enmity. Wrongs must be forgiven, the slate wiped clean. However wiping the slate clean is not enough; a new beginning must be made. God doesn’t forgive us and leave us alone. No - God forgives us, draws us into fellowship with Him and loves us as His children.

Hosea did not just forgive his wife. He bought her back from her lover; brought her back into his home, and bound himself to her again. When our Lord told us to “go and be reconciled”, He was telling us to end our hostility, forgive from our heart and love one another deeply from our heart. Love is always an action, and in this matter of being in right relationship with fellow Christians, we can deceive ourselves into thinking that we just have to stop fighting, and we have done what our Lord asked. No friend, we should stop fighting, we should then forgive from our heart, and we should then love deeply. To obey the law is to love God and to love one another.  

What a blessing each of us would be, if we would go and be reconciled. Oh Heavenly Father, may your grace abound in us, may your Spirit work in our innermost being so that we can love each other out of hearts full of Your love.