2. complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose.
3. Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition 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 concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.
5. You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had,
6. who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with Godas something to be grasped,
7. but emptied himselfby taking on the form of a slave,by looking like other men,and by sharing in human nature.
8. He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross!
9. As a result God exalted himand gave him the namethat is above every name,
10. so that at the name of Jesusevery knee will bow – in heaven and on earth and under the earth –
11. and every tongue confessthat Jesus Christ is Lordto the glory of God the Father.
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,
13. 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 world
16. by holding on to 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.
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.