True Humility
1 Christ encourages you, and his love comforts you. God's Spirit unites you, and you are concerned for others. 2 Now make me completely happy! Live in harmony by showing love for each other. Be united in what you think, as if you were only one person. 3 Don't be jealous or proud, but be humble and consider others more important than yourselves. 4 Care about them as much as you care about yourselves 5 and think the same way that Christ Jesus thought:
6 Christ was truly God.
But he did not try to remain
equal with God.
7 Instead he gave up everything
and became a slave,
when he became
like one of us.
8 Christ was humble.
He obeyed God and even died
on a cross.
9 Then God gave Christ
the highest place
and honored his name
above all others.
10 So at the name of Jesus
everyone will bow down,
those in heaven, on earth,
and under the earth.
11 And to the glory
of God the Father
everyone will openly agree,
“Jesus Christ is Lord!”
Lights in the World
12 My dear friends, you always obeyed when I was with you. Now that I am away, you should obey even more. So work with fear and trembling to discover what it really means to be saved. 13 God is working in you to make you willing and able to obey him.
14 Do everything without grumbling or arguing. 15 Then you will be the pure and innocent children of God. You live among people who are crooked and evil, but you must not do anything they can say is wrong. Try to shine as lights among the people of this world, 16 as you hold firmly to the message that gives life. Then on the day when Christ returns, I can take pride in you. I can also know that my work and efforts were not useless.
17 Your faith in the Lord and your service are like a sacrifice offered to him. And my own blood may have to be poured out with the sacrifice. If this happens, I will be glad and rejoice with you. 18 In the same way, you should be glad and rejoice with me.
Timothy and Epaphroditus
19 I want to be encouraged by news about you. So I hope the Lord Jesus will soon let me send Timothy to you. 20 I don't have anyone else who cares about you as much as he does. 21 The others think only about what interests them and not about what concerns Christ Jesus. 22 But you know what kind of person Timothy is. He has worked with me like a son in spreading the good news. 23 I hope to send him to you, as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me. 24 And I feel sure the Lord will also let me come soon.
25 I think I ought to send my dear friend Epaphroditus back to you. He is a follower and a worker and a soldier of the Lord, just as I am. You sent him to look after me, 26 but now he is eager to see you. He is worried, because you heard he was sick. 27 In fact, he was very sick and almost died. But God was kind to him, and also to me, and he kept me from being burdened down with sorrow.
28 Now I am more eager than ever to send Epaphroditus back again. You will be glad to see him, and I won't have to worry any longer. 29 Be sure to give him a cheerful welcome, just as people who serve the Lord deserve. 30 He almost died working for Christ, and he risked his own life to do for me what you could not.
1 If there be therfore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of loue, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any compassion and mercie, 2 Fulfill my ioye, that ye be like minded, hauing the same loue, being of one accorde, and of one iudgement, 3 That nothing be done through contention or vaine glory, but that in meekenesse of minde euery man esteeme other better then himselfe. 4 Looke not euery man on his owne things, but euery man also on the things of other men. 5 Let the same minde be in you that was euen in Christ Iesus, 6 Who being in ye forme of God, thought it no robberie to be equall with God: 7 But he made himself of no reputation, and tooke on him ye forme of a seruant, and was made like vnto men, and was founde in shape as a man. 8 He humbled himselfe, and became obedient vnto the death, euen the death of the Crosse. 9 Wherefore God hath also highly exalted him, and giuen him a Name aboue euery name, 10 That at the Name of Iesus shoulde euery knee bowe, both of things in heauen, and things in earth, and things vnder the earth, 11 And that euery tongue shoulde confesse that Iesus Christ is the Lord, vnto the glory of God the Father. 12 Wherefore my beloued, as ye haue alwayes obeyed me, not as in my presence only, but now much more in mine absence, so make an end of your owne saluation with feare and trembling. 13 For it is God which worketh in you, both the will and the deede, euen of his good pleasure. 14 Do all things without murmuring and reasonings, 15 That ye may be blamelesse, and pure, and the sonnes of God without rebuke in the middes of a naughtie and crooked nation, among whom yee shine as lights in the world, 16 Holding forth the worde of life, that I may reioyce in the day of Christ, that I haue not runne in vaine, neither haue laboured in vaine. 17 Yea, and though I bee offered vp vpon the sacrifice, and seruice of your faith, I am glad, and reioyce with you all. 18 For the same cause also be ye glad, and reioyce with me. 19 And I trust in the Lord Iesus, to sende Timotheus shortly vnto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I knowe your state. 20 For I haue no man like minded, who will faithfully care for your matters. 21 For all seeke their owne, and not that which is Iesus Christes. 22 But yee knowe the proofe of him, that as a sonne with the father, hee hath serued with me in the Gospel. 23 Him therefore I hope to send assoone as I knowe howe it will goe with me, 24 And trust in the Lord, that I also my selfe shall come shortly. 25 But I supposed it necessarie to sende my brother Epaphroditus vnto you, my companion in labour, and fellowe souldier, euen your messenger, and he that ministred vnto me such things as I wanted. 26 For he longed after all you, and was full of heauinesse, because yee had heard that hee had beene sicke. 27 And no doubt he was sicke, very neere vnto death: but God had mercie on him, and not on him onely, but on me also, least I should haue sorowe vpon sorowe. 28 I sent him therefore the more diligently, that when yee shoulde see him againe, yee might reioyce, and I might be the lesse sorowfull. 29 Receiue him therefore in the Lord with all gladnesse, and make much of such: 30 Because that for the woorke of Christ he was neere vnto death, and regarded not his life, to fulfill that seruice which was lacking on your part towarde me.