He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross!

In fact he became so ill that he nearly died. ¹  But God showed mercy to him – and not to him only, but also to me – so that I would not have grief on top of grief.

since it was because of the work of Christ that he almost died. He risked his life so that he could make up for your inability to serve me. ¹ 

My aim is to know him, ¹  to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, ²  and to be like him in his death,

My confident hope ¹  is that I will in no way be ashamed ²  but that with complete boldness, even now as always, Christ will be exalted in my body, whether I live or die. ³