Philippians 2

Consider others better than yourselves

Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate?a ²Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.b ³Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.c

⁴Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.d

He humbled himself

⁵You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had.e ⁶Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.f ⁷Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form,g ⁸he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.h

⁹Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names,i ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,j ¹¹and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.k

Shine like stars

¹²Dear friends, you always followed my instructions when I was with you. And now that I am away, it is even more important. Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.l ¹³For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.m ¹⁴Do everything without complaining and arguing,n ¹⁵so that no one can criticize you. Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.o

¹⁶Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.p ¹⁷But I will rejoice even if I lose my life, pouring it out like a liquid offering to God, just like your faithful service is an offering to God. And I want all of you to share that joy.q ¹⁸Yes, you should rejoice, and I will share your joy.

Timothy and Epaphroditus

¹⁹If the Lord Jesus is willing, I hope to send Timothy to you soon for a visit. Then he can cheer me up by telling me how you are getting along.r ²⁰I have no one else like Timothy, who genuinely cares about your welfare. ²¹All the others care only for themselves and not for what matters to Jesus Christ.s

²²But you know how Timothy has proved himself. Like a son with his father, he has served with me in preaching the Good News. ²³I hope to send him to you just as soon as I find out what is going to happen to me here. ²⁴And I have confidence from the Lord that I myself will come to see you soon.

²⁵Meanwhile, I thought I should send Epaphroditus back to you. He is a true brother, co-worker, and fellow soldier. And he was your messenger to help me in my need.t ²⁶I am sending him because he has been longing to see you, and he was very distressed that you heard he was ill. ²⁷And he certainly was ill; in fact, he almost died. But God had mercy on him—and also on me, so that I would not have one sorrow after another.

²⁸So I am all the more anxious to send him back to you, for I know you will be glad to see him, and then I will not be so worried about you. ²⁹Welcome him in the Lord’s love and with great joy, and give him the honor that people like him deserve. ³⁰For he risked his life for the work of Christ, and he was at the point of death while doing for me what you couldn’t do from far away.