But he chose to identify himself as a servant. At the time, he was a prisoner of Caesar, but inwardly he saw himself as a servant of Jesus Christ. This characterized his life and his attitude toward others. When we embrace the idea that we are here to serve others, then we begin to possess the appropriate attitude and that allows us to effectively love others. Second, there must be the appropriate atmosphere of love.
Unity is the atmosphere in which love thrives.
There was great harmony in the lives of the Philippian Christians that Paul was writing to. This created the necessary atmosphere in which love can grow and thrive. One drop of the gall of unlove in my heart or yours, however unseen, has a terrible power of spreading all through our family, our places of work, our community, our churches. We are all parts of one another. If one suffers, all suffer loss.