Acts 25:6-12

Acts 25:6-12
English Standard Version (ESV)

  What's best about Paul's trial is that he doesn't doubt himself -- he's lived in such a way that he has no reason to doubt himself, no reason to wonder if he has lived well.  Think about his journey -- he went from persecuting Christians to proclaiming their Gospel, and he's entirely confidant and comfortable with his identity.  He knows he has been saved by grace, and he's proclaimed that message, and he has nothing to fear.  There is no doubt within Paul.
  It's hard to imagine living this way.  Each of us has things in our past that we'd love to pile dirt over and let disappear.  We have things that shame us, things that concern us, things that wake us in the middle of the night and leave us wondering if we're good enough.
  The message of grace is a hard one to hear -- we are so busy trying to earn God's love that we often forget that God loves us unconditionally.  Our path is not to be caught up in fear, but rather to be caught up in God's grace.  We shouldn't spend our lives looking back at what has happened, but rather should invest our energy in looking to the unlimited grace and unmerited favor that is poured out upon us.
  Paul isn't afraid to go on trial, because he knows he is innocent.
  In the same way, we shouldn't be afraid to stand before the throne of God, because we know that we are covered in Christ and completely forgiven washed clean by the blood of the lamb and born again to eternal life.