Sabbath Thought – God’s Infinite Love

Some weeks back, fellow pastor Devin Schultz sent out this Sabbath Thought. I wanted to share it with you.

Infinity is the idea of something that has no end. Our finite minds struggle with that. This becomes apparent when we look at large numbers. A googol is a number consisting of 1 followed by one hundred zeros. It is so long I could not get the formatting to work in this email but its shortened notation is 10¹⁰⁰. This is a number that exceeds comprehension and is thought to be larger than the number of elementary particles in the whole universe. Yet we have even larger numbers. A googolplex is a 1 followed by a googol of zeros. It is impossible to physically write that number out, as there is not enough known matter in the universe to accomplish that task! Still, infinity flies past these numbers—forever.

      Before we strain our brains pondering infinity, let us look at an aspect of God’s infinite character that David extols in Psalm 103, “For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:11–12). God’s mercy (the Hebrew word “hesed”, meaning kindness, mercy, or unfailing love) is so great it cannot be measured. It does not end at a googol or a googolplex but continues, unending, forever.

      We are the blessed recipients of God’s infinite love and mercy! This verse reveals that in this life, God’s people experience the forgiveness of their sins (each of which carries with it the death penalty) as a direct result of God’s love. A sin, once forgiven, will never be brought against us, not even in a googol of years! There will never come a point when God’s loving forgiveness will end.

      Hezekiah describes this as if God “cast all my sins behind [His] back” (Isaiah 38:17). As astounding as it is that an infinite God with infinite love has chosen us as a small flock to be the recipients of His grace, God’s love is not limited to this temporary physical life. His plan is to share eternity with us. Our entrance into the family of God will mark the start of an endless existence in which we will continually experience God’s love. This is humbling to comprehend.

      How would God have us respond to His boundless love? A good start is to do what David exhorts earlier in Psalm 103, “Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits” (Psalm 103:1–2). Our hearts, minds, and mouths should be filled with praise for our great God. It is worthwhile for us to spend time in meditation so that we never forget the multitude of blessings God bestows upon us and, in turn, offer up praise to God for His greatness.

      Additionally, in reflecting on what God does for us, our only reasonable response is to give our lives over completely to serve our Father (Romans 12:1). The word for bless in Psalm 103 literally means “to kneel” and reflects honor and service. As children of God, we no longer belong to ourselves but devote ourselves to becoming like God (1 Corinthians 6:19). This means growing ever more into God’s nature—His love and mercy made visible in us. Do we accept the love and mercy of God, yet fail to show that same love and mercy to others?

      Brethren, this Sabbath, let us count the blessings we have because of God’s infinite love—and then live more like our Father.

      Devin Schulz, Pastor, Iowa and Nebraska Congregations

I wish you a very meaningful Sabbath,

Dan Dowd

10 October, 2026