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

-----

                         Walk in Love

Little one, I have called you to receive My love, and to extend it
to others. You must do the former before you can do the latter.

So many of My own have been wrongly trained that you must work up 
a love in your hearts for others so that I will approve of you and
extend more of My own love to you. But that is not how it works, 
dear one. You cannot love others with My love until My love had 
penetrated your entire being. You must be secure in My love for 
you before are able to successfully give it away to others. 

My Son gave you two great commandments when He walked on this earth.
The first (and highest) is that you love Me with all of your heart 
and all of your soul and all of your spirit.* You may not realize it, 
but there is a condition built into that command. You must receive 
My love for you in order to love Me--for My great love towards you 
is what empowers you to be consumed with loving Me back. I am the 
initiator of this love, as I have said in My word, I loved you and 
I choose you before you knew to love Me.**

You are empowered to love Me because I have loved you. The more you
choose to receive My love, the easier it will for you to love Me
back in the way that My Son commanded you to. 

I want to make this easy for you--I want to lavishly pour out My 
great love for and My great acceptance of you, no matter what your 
present-day circumstances may be. If you are in sin, the blood of 
My own dear Son covers that sin and presents you acceptable to Me. 
Can you believe that and receive My forgiveness and allow My 
transforming power to work liberty from sin in your life? 

If you are in difficulty or in need, can you believe that I am a 
loving father who provides for the needs of His own dear children?*** 
I don't just provide your minimum needs so that you can barely scrape 
by--I also provide many of your wants and desires, for I delight to 
give good gifts to My children.****

Why do I do that? It is because I am love, and because I love you 
dearly. I want you to truly believe what I am telling you; I want it 
to be real to you that you are loved and forgiven. My love is not
conditional, based on how well you perform at the moment. I will
not withdraw it because you have a bad day. 

Do not misunderstand, it pleases Me greatly when you choose to honor
and obey Me, and it raises My displease when you choose to sin or
rebel against My will. But even when you are rebellious and in 
need of discipline, you are still My child. I may need to chasten
you at times, but that does not make Me disown you or stop loving 
you. You please Me more when you are "good," but I never stop loving 
you, no matter how much you misbehave. My grace and mercy and 
forgiveness will always be there for you when you repent and run 
back to Me. Why? It is because I love you dearly. There is nothing 
you can do to separate yourself from My great love for you. You are 
secure in it. 

When you realize this--when it becomes real to you--then you will be 
much better positioned to love yourself and to love others. Then it 
will become possible for you to obey My Son's second greatest command: 
to love your neighbor as yourself.

In short, when you become secure in My great love for you, you will
love Me back with all of your heart, and My love will fill and 
overflow your life. And that will make it possible for you walk in 
My love, and to give it away to others, just as I have commanded you
to do.

   * Matthew 22:37-39 
  ** Ephesians 1:4-5
 *** Philippians 4:19
**** Psalm 37:4, Matthew 7:11