Conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel.
—Philippians 1:27
Paul urged the Philippians to close the gap between their beliefs and their behavior, between their doctrine and their doing.
For the Christian, love is foundational. God demonstrated it and called on us to imitate it: “[God] loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. . . . since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 Jn 4:10–11).
If you want a reading of your spiritual weight, step on the scales at verse 8: “Whoever does not love (agape) does not know God.”
In one of his many excellent essays, Gene Shelburne cited Edward Nason’s definition of agape love: “A profound concern for the welfare of another, without any desire to control that other, to be thanked by that other, or to enjoy the process.”
Slip into your Agape work clothes.