Grace To Suffer

In this message from Philippians 3:3-14 titled "Grace to Suffer," Pastor Battle reminds us that everyone has a cross to carry; as a follower of Jesus, we all, at points in life, will be called to suffer and sacrifice for others (as Jesus did). Sometimes, we will bear that cross by choice - like Paul, we must choose to put aside our education, connections, privilege, etc. to serve someone else and be a witness for Jesus (Phil 3:4-9). Other times, we will bear a cross by force, as Simon of Cyrene did in the gospels when he was compelled to carry Jesus' cross (Matt 27:32; Luke 23:26; Mark 15:21). We don't choose our circumstances, but we must still be faithful to God in the process. But whether it is a cross by choice or force, we must always celebrate God's display of grace, power, and glory that will give us the strength to deal with whatever we are carrying in our lives (2 Tim. 4:6-8).