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The other day I had one of my students come up to me looking a little distraught. She was feeling really down because she felt she wasn't living up to "God's standard". She said that she felt so away from God because she had been falling asleep before reading her bible.

As a Pastor, this is definitely not the first time I've heard statements like this. I think it's so sad that there are Christians out there living their lives burdened with guilt because they don't--(you fill-in the blank). I wonder where they're getting this idea that they should focus on what they can do for God instead of focusing on what Paul tells us we should focus on which is what God has done for us.

"Working out your own salvation" is not about adding more things to your "to do" list for God. It's about you being able "to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge"

There are books, websites, radio shows, and churches all with their own idea of what a person needs to DO to experience God. Some say you need to fast, some say you need to have quiet time, and still others say that you need to attain a certain level of holiness. Paul says that the "secret" to being filled with all "the fullness of God" is being able to grasp the immeasurable love that God has for you.

Are you there yet? Have you grasped his immeasurable love? "How do you know if you've grasped it yet?", you ask. Well, are you filled with the fullness of God? If not, you're not there yet.

How can you get there? Ask God to show what his son and his death mean. Without understanding who Jesus is and what he did for you, you can't even begin to take hold of his love. It all starts and ends at the cross. Spend some time focusing on that for a change.