Love Without Bounds

Written By Jan Grubbs

The movie “Love Story” starring Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal debuted in 1970. There is a line in this movie that was voted by the American Film Institute as one of the top 100 most quoted lines in film. In the scene, Ryan O’Neal loses his temper and becomes angry at MacGraw, which devastates her. She tells him, “Love is never having to say you’re sorry,” a line he repeats at the end of the film. At the time, it sounds so sweet, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.

In our culture, we say we “love” ice cream, and we “love” our spouse, but these types of love are very different from one another. The Bible teaches that to love someone, we deny ourselves for that person and put them before ourselves. To love God is to earnestly desire Him and yearn for His righteousness. As the psalmist says, “As the deer pants for streams of water, So my soul pants for you, O God” (Psalm 42:1 NKJV). We are to love, esteem, and revere Him above everything in our lives.
Sometimes we treat the Lord as a second thought and become too cozy with His Prescence, forgetting how holy He is. Without meaning to, we neglect to draw near to Him, yet His Word says if we draw near to Him, He will draw near to us. We can easily take His everlasting love and promises for granted. When I am not diligent to seek Him, I tumble into this category.
When I turn back the pages of my journal and reread what I have written, I become embarrassed to see few reflections on His holiness. In my busy mind, always thinking about friends and family and things to accomplish, do I stop to dwell on His majesty? I must remember that everything I have is from Him.
Love does mean having to say we are sorry, because the great love of God humbles us to want to be more like Him. Yet repentance is more than saying we are sorry; it is a deep conviction of the heart and a turning away from our sin. When I fall prey to sin, His love ushers in mercy and grace. We cannot compare human love with God’s love; it is so great He sacrificed His only Son for us. God’s passionate and faithful love never ends; He is only waiting for us to step into it. We enter His Presence by acknowledging His holiness. Isaiah writes:
“In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple…. And one called to another and said: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:1,3 ESV)
In Exodus 28:15-30, we read about the breastplate Aaron wore as the high priest of Israel. Twelve precious stones adorned the breastplate, representing the 12 tribes of Israel. Each stone was engraved with the names of the tribe’s forefathers. When Aaron entered the tabernacle, he represented all the people of God. The text reads, “In this way, Aaron will carry the names of the tribes of Israel on the sacred chest piece over his heart when he goes into the Holy Place. This will be a continual reminder that he represents the people when he comes before the Lord” (v. 29 NLT). This is symbolic of Jesus coming to earth and becoming our High Priest so we are free to come before Him no matter what we’ve done. He intercedes for us and carries us in the breastplate of His heart.
Most of us need to focus more on worshipping and loving the King of Kings as He should be worshipped. When we step into this type of love and honor for Him, words cannot express what our hearts overwhelmingly feel for the Lord, but our Spirit can. As Paul writes, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26 NKJV).

Let’s commit to step into God’s presence with humility. We are to “be holy as He is holy” (Leviticus 19:2). It’s time we stop being comfy in our walk with the Lord, but instead revere Him with wonder and awe.

Lets pray:
Lord, forgive me if I have not esteemed or honored you as I should. I experience your love in a deeper more meaningful way. I call out to You as the angels do, HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is the Lord God Almighty. You are boundless in your love for me. Even with my sinful nature, I receive the incredible love You have for me. I worship You in my actions and with my mouth. Great are You, Oh God. Amen

Jan Grubbs
I’m a Bible teacher, author, and speaker, and I am passionate about connecting women to Jesus.

When I was growing up, my dad used to say, “Every day is a new day to Jan,” and it’s true. No matter what happened the day before, every day is new to me. Like you, I’ve had some great highs and some very difficult lows. In those hard times, Jesus always holds and comforts me. 

If you would have told my mother I would become a writer, she would have gotten so tickled. She was a very particular English teacher, and everything I wrote made her want to pull her hair out! I was a “life is a bowl of cherries” kind of a girl. Fun, carefree, and the life of the party, I met my straight-laced, Baptist future husband at 18. We married at 20 and began going to church. I went through the motions, but I became a true believer at 24.

I love teaching women the Bible and seeing the light bulb come on. One time, I was preparing to speak to a group of women leaders, when I asked the Lord what to teach on. Immediately, He gave me the picture of us being the Bride of Christ. I am a hopeless romantic, so this spoke to my heart. I dove into studying Jesus as our Bridegroom, and it wooed me into a more intimate relationship with Him. 

My husband always says I am full of surprises. No one is as surprised as we are that I’m writing, but Jesus isn’t surprised. He took my love for Him, my love for the Word, my love for women, and turned it into this ministry.

Each of us has hidden qualities that Jesus is waiting to bring out. As you linger here and enjoy my writing, I hope you come to understand Jesus as your Bridegroom and the depth of love He has for you. 

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