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

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

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,

that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.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,for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Do everything without grumbling or arguing,so that you may become blameless and pure, "children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation." Then you will shine among them like stars in the skyas you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith, I am glad and rejoice with all of you.So you too should be glad and rejoice with me.I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you.I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare.For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel.I hope, therefore, to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.And I am confident in the Lord that I myself will come soon.

But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs.For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill.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.Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety.So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him,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.

Philippians 2

Christian Unity and Christ’s Humility

1 Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort provided by love, any fellowship in the Spirit,t any affection or mercy,t2 complete my joy and be of the same mind,t by having the same love, being united in spirit,t and having one purpose.3 Instead of being motivated by selfish ambitiont or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself.4 Each of you should be concernedt not onlyt about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.st

5 You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had,t

6 s who though he existed in the form of Gods
did not regard equality with God
as something to be grasped,

7 but emptied himself
by taking on the form of a slave,t
by looking like other men,ts
and by sharing in human nature.ts

8 He humbled himself,
by becoming obedient to the point of death
– even death on a cross!

9 As a result God exalted him
and gave him the name
that is above every name,

10 so that at the name of Jesus
every knee will bow
– in heaven and on earth and under the earth –

11 and every tongue confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord
to the glory of God the Father.

Lights in the World

12 So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence,t13 for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort – for the sake of his good pleasure – is God.14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing,15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without blemish though you live in a crooked and perverse society, in which you shine as lights in the worldt16 by holding on tot the word of life so that on the day of Christ I will have a reason to boast that I did not run in vain nor labor in vain.17 But even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad and rejoice together with all of you.

18 And in the same way you also should be glad and rejoice together with me.

Models for Ministry

19 Now I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, so that I too may be encouraged by hearing news about you.20 For there is no one here like him who will readily demonstrate his deep concern for you.t21 Others are busy with their own concerns, not those of Jesus Christ.22 But you know his qualifications, that like a son working with his father, he served with me in advancing the gospel.23 So I hope to send him as soon as I know more about my situation,

24 though I am confident in the Lord that I too will be coming to see yout soon.
25 But for nowt I have considered it necessary to send Epaphroditus to you. For he is my brother,ts coworker and fellow soldier, and your messengert and ministert to me in my need.t26 Indeed, he greatly missed all of you and was distressed because you heard that he had been ill.27 In fact he became so ill that he nearly died.t But God showed mercy to him – and not to him only, but also to me – so that I would not have grief on top of grief.28 Therefore I am all the more eager to send him,t so that when you see him again you can rejoicet and I can be free from anxiety.29 So welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him,

30 since it was because of the work of Christ that he almost died. He risked his life so that he could make up for your inability to serve me.t