2 1Think about what we have in Christ: the encouragement he has brought us, the comfort of his love, our sharing in his Spirita, and the mercy and kindness he has shown us. If you enjoy these blessings, 2then do what will make my joy complete: Agree with each other, and show your love for each other. Be united in your goals and in the way you think. 3In whatever you do, don't let selfishness or pride be your guide. Be humble, and honor others more than yourselves. 4Don't be interested only in your own life, but care about the lives of others too.
14Do everything without complaining or arguing 15so that you will be blameless and pure, children of God without any fault. But you are living with evil people all around you, who have lost their sense of what is right. Among those people you shine like lights in a dark world, 16and you offer them the teaching that gives life. So I can be proud of you when Christ comes again. You will show that my work was not wasted - that I ran in the race and won. 17Your faith makes you give your lives as a sacrificec in serving God. Maybe I will have to offer my own life with your sacrifice. But if that happens, I will be glad, and I will share my joy with all of you. 18You also should be glad and share your joy with me. 25For now, I think I must send Epaphroditus back to you. He is my brother in God's family, who works and serves with me in the Lord's army. When I needed help, you sent him to me, 26but now he wants very much to see all of you again. He is worried because you heard that he was sick. 27He was sick and near death. But God helped him and me too, so that I would not have even more grief. 28So I want very much to send him to you. When you see him, you can be happy. And I can stop worrying about you. 29Welcome him in the Lord with much joy. Give honor to people like Epaphroditus. 30He should be honored because he almost died for the work of Christ. He put his life in danger so that he could help me. This was help that you could not give me. aSpirit See ¡°Holy Spirit.¡± bglory A word that refers to the special qualities of God. Often it means brightness, referring to the way he appears to people. Sometimes it means majesty or power, referring to a kind of greatness that cannot be compared to anything in human experience. It can also include the ideas of wealth, honor, fame, or respect, especially in expressions of praise. csacrifice To offer a gift to God as an expression of worship, thanksgiving, or payment for sin. Also, the gift that is offered. In the Old Testament it was usually a special animal that was killed and burned on an altar. The Old Testament sacrifices offered for sins were symbolic of the perfect sacrifice that God himself would provide through Jesus Christ. Jesus gave his own life as a sacrifice to pay for the sins of all people. See Heb. 10:1-14. dGood News In the Gospels this is usually the news about the coming of God¡¯s kingdom (see above) or its representative Jesus the Messiah. In other places it is, more specifically, the news or message of God¡¯s grace - that he has made a way through Jesus Christ for people to be made right with him and enjoy his blessings now and forever. |