¹If belonging to Christ helps you, if his love comforts you, if you share anything in common because of the Holy Spirit, if Christ has been gentle and loving toward you,

²then make my joy complete by agreeing with one another. Have the same love and be unified in spirit and mind.

³Don’t try to get ahead of others, and don’t think you’re better than they are. Instead, be humble and honor others more than yourselves.

⁴Don’t look out just for your own good. Instead, look out for the good of others.

⁵In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude that Jesus did.

⁶He actually was God,

but he didn’t take advantage of the fact that he was equal with God.

⁷Instead, he made himself nothing

by taking on the nature of a servant

and becoming just like human beings.

⁸He appeared on earth as a man,

and he humbled himself and obeyed God completely.

He did this even though it led to his death.

⁹So God lifted him up to the highest place

and gave him the name that is above every name.

¹⁰When the name of Jesus is spoken, everyone will kneel to worship,

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

¹¹and everyone will acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord.

And God the Father will receive the glory.

¹²And so, my dear friends, as you’ve always obeyed God—not just while I was with you, but even more now that I’m not with you— continue to work out your own salvation. Do it with fear and trembling.

¹³God is at work in you to help you both to want his good purpose and to work for it.

¹⁴Do everything without complaining or arguing.

¹⁵Then you’ll be pure and blameless, “children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation.” Then you’ll shine within your generation like stars in the universe

¹⁶as you hold on to the word of life. Then I’ll be able to boast on the day when Christ returns that I didn’t run or work for nothing.

¹⁷But even if my life is going to be poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I’ll be glad and joyful with all of you.

¹⁸So you too should be glad and joyful with me.

¹⁹I hope to send Timothy to you soon, if the Lord Jesus allows it. That way I’ll be encouraged when I receive news about you.

²⁰I have no one else like Timothy. He will truly care about how you’re doing.

²¹All the others are looking out for their own interests, not for the interests of Jesus Christ.

²²But you know that Timothy has proved himself. He has served with me like a son with his father in spreading the good news.

²³So I hope to send him as soon as I see how things go with me.

²⁴And I’m confident that I will come soon myself, if the Lord allows it.

²⁵But I think it’s necessary to send Epaphroditus back to you now. He’s my brother in the Lord, and he’s a worker and a soldier for Christ together with me. He’s also your messenger, because you sent him to take care of my needs.

²⁶He misses all of you, and he’s distressed because you heard he was sick.

²⁷Actually, he was very sick. He almost died! But God had mercy on him, and also on me. God spared me the sorrow of losing him on top of all my other sorrows here.

²⁸So I want even more to send him to you, so that when you see him again, you’ll be encouraged and I won’t be so concerned.

²⁹So then, welcome him as a brother in the Lord with great joy. Honor people like him.

³⁰He almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life by coming here to provide the help you couldn’t give me yourselves because you were so far away.