This word is submitted by Teresa Seputis [ts@godspeak.net]

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                      You Can't Earn My Love
                    
Child of Mine, you know that My love is given freely and unconditionally
to all who are called by the name of My Son, and that you do not have
to do anything to earn it. And yet, so many of My own do not fully 
believe this in their hearts, and they are constantly trying to "earn" 
My love.

Many of My own have convinced themselves that I will love them more on 
those days when they do more for Me, or on those days when they pray more, 
or on those days when they walk in a higher level of obedience. They are 
confusing My pleasure with My love, for it does please Me when My children 
do these things, but it does not make Me love them any more. My love for 
each of you is just as perfect on your "bad days" as it is on your good 
ones. 

If you tell yourself that I love you more for doing good things, then
you are in essence saying that I love you less on the days when you
don't do them--and that is simply not the case. You are My precious
child; you have been purchased at a very great price and I love you
dearly in all things.

Yet, it is true that you please Me when you do the things that I ask of
you, and when you abstain from the things that I did not like. It is 
also true that you cause Me great pleasure when you stand in faith and
it causes Me pleasure when you are hungry for My presence, when you
pursue Me and My ways in love. It is also true that I will most surely 
reward you for each of these things that cause Me pleasure. 

Just as I will reward you when you seek to please Me, I also bring 
My correction into your life when you do the things that displease Me or 
that cause Me grief. My correction is not a withdrawal of My love; rather, 
it is an extension of it. 

I am your loving Heavenly Father and I will correct (and at times chasten)
those who I love. I do not do this out of anger or out of a desire to 
punish you. I do it because it would be a lack of love to let you 
continue in the wrong ways that cause you harm. Those ways may appear to 
give you pleasure for a brief season, but they will bring much brief in 
to your life. I love you too much to let you pursue such things in a way 
where you will reap the great harm that those things will inevitably yield. 
That is why I bring My correction and My chastening into your life--not
because I don't love you, but because I love you too much to let you
keep hurting yourself.

I want you to know that you are loved and valued in those times where I
have to bring stern correction into your life. And even as My hand of
correction lands upon you, you can be assured that I am eagerly waiting 
for you to turn from the path of destruction so that I may once again 
pour out My blessings on you.

I want you to know with a certainty that I still love you even on those
days when you feel isolated, unspiritual,  numb (or almost dead) to the 
things of My kingdom. I will not leave you in this place. I will be 
actively at work in your life to breathe My life back into you, and to 
draw you back to Myself.

Likewise, on those days where you walking in faith and obedience, where 
you are intentionally doing good things in order to please Me...know 
that these things will not cause Me to love you any more, because My 
love for you is already perfect. BUT they will give Me great pleasure, 
and I am One Who loves to reward those who please Me. While you will 
not earn an increase of My love, you will indeed earn an increase of My 
pleasure upon you; and that will yield increased rewards and increased 
blessings in your life.
 
You never have to "earn" My love, but you will do well when you seek 
to bless Me with by doing things that you please Me, when you pursue
things like faith, holiness, obedience and intimacy. For the more you 
seek to please Me, the more you will see My tangible blessings pour out 
upon you.