HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1443
PHIL IPPIANS 2
page 1073
confidence and boldly speak God’s message*
without fear.
15 It’s true that some are preaching out of jealousy and rivalry. But others preach about Christ
with pure motives. 16 They preach because they
love me, for they know I have been appointed
to defend the Good News. 17 Those others do
not have pure motives as they preach about
Christ. They preach with selfish ambition,
not sincerely, intending to make my chains
more painful to me. 18 But that doesn’t matter.
Whether their motives are false or genuine, the
message about Christ is being preached either
way, so I rejoice. And I will continue to rejoice.
19 For I know that as you pray for me and the
Spirit of Jesus Christ helps me, this will lead to
my deliverance.
Paul’s Life for Christ
20 For I fully expect and hope that I will never
be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold
for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust
that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether
I live or die. 21 For to me, living means living for
Christ, and dying is even better. 22 But if I live,
I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really
don’t know which is better. 23 I’m torn between
two desires: I long to go and be with Christ,
which would be far better for me. 24 But for your
sakes, it is better that I continue to live.
25 Knowing this, I am convinced that I will
remain alive so I can continue to help all of
you grow and experience the joy of your faith.
26 And when I come to you again, you will have
even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus
because of what he is doing through me.
Live as Citizens of Heaven
27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven,
conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of
the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I
come and see you again or only hear about you,
I will know that you are standing together with
one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for
the faith, which is the Good News. 28 Don’t be
intimidated in any way by your enemies. This
will be a sign to them that they are going to be
destroyed, but that you are going to be saved,
even by God himself. 29 For you have been given
not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but
also the privilege of suffering for him. 30 We
are in this struggle together. You have seen my
struggle in the past, and you know that I am still
in the midst of it.
Have the Attitude of Christ
Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love?
Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your
2
1:14b Some manuscripts read speak the message. 2:6 Or
Being in the form of God. 2:7a Greek he emptied himself.
2:7b Or the form of a slave. 2:7c Some English translations
put this phrase in verse 8.
hearts tender and compassionate? 2 Then make
me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly
with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose.
3 Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others.
Be humble, thinking of others as better than
yourselves. 4 Don’t look out only for your own
interests, but take an interest in others, too.
5 You must have the same attitude that Christ
Jesus had.
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7
8
9
10
11
Though he was God,*
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
Instead, 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,*
he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Therefore, God elevated him to the place
of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other
names,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the
earth,
and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ
is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Shine Brightly for Christ
12 Dear 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
• Prayer
PHI LI PPI A N S 1:9-11
How can I grow deeper in my prayer life?
Sometimes we want to pray but don’t
know what to pray for. We know that God
promises to grant requests that are in
agreement with his will (John 15:7; 1 John
5:14-15), but how can we be sure we are
praying for what God wants? A practical
solution is to use the prayers in the Bible
as our own prayers. These verses, for
example, record Paul’s prayer for the
Philippians. You can pray in his words if
you simply change some of the words to
fit whomever you are praying for—“I pray
that his/her/my love for others will overflow
more and more.” When you pray in the
words of Scripture, you will deepen your
prayer life, aligning your heart with God’s.