A Christian Should Not Be Proud
2 Are you strong because you belong to Christ? Does His love comfort you? Do you have joy by being as one in sharing the Holy Spirit? Do you have loving-kindness and pity for each other? 2 Then give me true joy by thinking the same thoughts. Keep having the same love. Be as one in thoughts and actions. 3 Nothing should be done because of pride or thinking about yourself. Think of other people as more important than yourself. 4 Do not always be thinking about your own plans only. Be happy to know what other people are doing.
Christ Was Not Proud
5 Think as Christ Jesus thought. 6 Jesus has always been as God is. But He did not hold to His rights as God. 7 He put aside everything that belonged to Him and made Himself the same as a servant who is owned by someone. He became human by being born as a man. 8 After He became a man, He gave up His important place and obeyed by dying on a cross. 9 Because of this, God lifted Jesus high above everything else. He gave Him a name that is greater than any other name. 10 So when the name of Jesus is spoken, everyone in heaven and on earth and under the earth will bow down before Him. 11 And every tongue will say Jesus Christ is Lord. Everyone will give honor to God the Father.
12 My Christian friends, you have obeyed me when I was with you. You have obeyed even more when I have been away. You must keep on working to show you have been saved from the punishment of sin. Be afraid that you may not please God. 13 He is working in you. God is helping you obey Him. God is doing what He wants done in you. 14 Be glad you can do the things you should be doing. Do all things without arguing and talking about how you wish you did not have to do them. 15 In that way, you can prove yourselves to be without blame. You are God’s children and no one can talk against you, even in a sin-loving and sin-sick world. You are to shine as lights among the sinful people of this world. 16 Take a strong hold on the Word of Life. Then when Christ comes again, I will be happy that I did not work with you for nothing. 17 Even if I give my life as a gift on the altar to God for you, I am glad and share this joy with you. 18 You must be happy and share your joy with me also.
Timothy Is Being Sent to You
19 I hope by the help of the Lord Jesus that I can send Timothy to you soon. It will comfort me when he brings news about you. 20 I have no one else who is as interested in you as Timothy. 21 Everyone else thinks of himself instead of Jesus Christ. 22 You know how Timothy proved to be such a true friend to me when we preached the Good News. He was like a son helping his father. 23 I hope to send Timothy as soon as I know what they are going to do to me. 24 I hope by the help of the Lord that I can come soon also.
25 I thought it was right that I send Epaphroditus back to you. You helped me by sending him to me. We have worked together like brothers. He was like a soldier fighting beside me. 26 He has been wanting to see all of you and was troubled because you heard he was sick. 27 It is true, he was sick. Yes, he almost died, but God showed loving-kindness to him and to me. If he had died, I would have had even more sorrow. 28 This is all the more reason I have sent him to you. When you see him, you will be glad and I will have less sorrow. 29 Take him into your church with joy. Show respect for men like him. 30 He came close to death while working for Christ. He almost died doing things for me that you could not do.