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Does Christ speak to you? Does love call to you? Do you have a part in the Holy Spirit? Do you have any love and care for others?

Then make me very, very happy. Live in happiness with one another. Have the same love for each other. Think the same way. Agree together about things. All have one purpose in mind.

Do not try to prove you are better than others. Do not be proud of yourselves, but be humble. Think of other people as being better than yourselves.

Each one of you should not think only about himself, but about other people also.

Think the same way Jesus Christ thought.

He was in every way like God. Yet he did not think that being equal to God was something he must hold on to.

He gave this up and became a servant. He was born a baby.

And when he was a man, he was humble. He was even willing to die, yes, to die on a cross.

That is why God has made him very great. God has given him a name above every name.

10 Everyone in heaven, everyone on earth, and everyone under the earth will kneel before the name of Jesus.

11 Everyone will admit that Jesus Christ is Lord. They will praise God the Father for this.

12 My dear people, you have always obeyed me. God has saved you from wrong ways. Now show this by the good things that you do. You must live that way, not only when I am with you, but much more now that I am not with you. Think of how wrong it will be if you do not. Try hard to work out how to do it.

13 For God is at work in you. He helps you want to do it. And he helps you do what he wants you to do.

14 Do everything without grumbling or making trouble.

15 In that way you will be completely good. No one will be able to say anything wrong about you. You will be God's good children living amongst bad people. Among them you will shine like lights in the world.

16 You will have the message of life for them. I will be proud of you when Christ comes. My work and trouble will not be for nothing.

17 The life you live because you believe in God is like a sacrifice. Even if I am killed, it will be like wine which people pour on a sacrifice. I am happy to do this for you, and I am happy about you.

18 In the same way you must be happy. And you must be happy about me.

19 I hope the Lord Jesus will let me send Timothy to you soon. I will be glad to hear about you.

20 I have no one like Timothy. He is troubled to know about you.

21 All the other people think only of themselves and not of Jesus Christ.

22 But you know what a good man Timothy is. You know that he has worked with me in telling the good news. He has worked just as a son works with his father.

23 So I hope to send him to you as soon as I see what happens to me.

24 And I trust that the Lord will let me come to you soon myself.

25 I thought I must send Epaphroditus, our Christian brother, back to you. He has worked with me and has also been a soldier of Christ with me. He was your messenger and he brought your gift for my needs.

26 I am sending him back because he has been lonely without you all. And his heart has been troubled because you heard that he was sick.

27 He was very sick! He almost died! But God was kind to him. He was not only kind to him, but also to me. God did not let me have one trouble after another.

28 I want even more to send him to you so that you will be happy when you see him again. And I will not be so troubled any more.

29 So receive him with much joy because he is a Christian brother. Give respect to men like him.

30 He almost died doing the work of Christ. You wished to help me, but you could not come. He came instead. He was willing to put his life in danger in order to help me.

Imitating Christ’s Humility

Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit,(A) if any tenderness and compassion,(B) then make my joy complete(C) by being like-minded,(D) having the same love, being one(E) in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.(F) Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,(G) not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.(H)

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:(I)

Who, being in very nature[a] God,(J)
    did not consider equality with God(K) something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing(L)
    by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,(M)
    being made in human likeness.(N)
And being found in appearance as a man,
    he humbled himself
    by becoming obedient to death(O)
        even death on a cross!(P)

Therefore God exalted him(Q) to the highest place
    and gave him the name that is above every name,(R)
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,(S)
    in heaven and on earth and under the earth,(T)
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,(U)
    to the glory of God the Father.

Do Everything Without Grumbling

12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,(V) 13 for it is God who works in you(W) to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.(X)

14 Do everything without grumbling(Y) or arguing, 15 so that you may become blameless(Z) and pure, “children of God(AA) without fault in a warped and crooked generation.”[c](AB) Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky 16 as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ(AC) that I did not run(AD) or labor in vain.(AE) 17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering(AF) on the sacrifice(AG) and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.(AH) 18 So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy(AI) to you soon,(AJ) that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him,(AK) who will show genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for their own interests,(AL) not those of Jesus Christ. 22 But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father(AM) he has served with me in the work of the gospel. 23 I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.(AN) 24 And I am confident(AO) in the Lord that I myself will come soon.

25 But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker(AP) and fellow soldier,(AQ) who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.(AR) 26 For he longs for all of you(AS) and is distressed because you heard he was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. 28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him,(AT) so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. 29 So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him,(AU) 30 because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me.(AV)

Footnotes

  1. Philippians 2:6 Or in the form of
  2. Philippians 2:7 Or the form
  3. Philippians 2:15 Deut. 32:5