Discipleship Is Costly

²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, ^(A)take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ For ^(B)whoever wants to save his ^[a]life will lose it; but whoever loses his ^[b]life for My sake will find it. ²⁶ For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but ^[c]forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul?

¹² I have sent him back to you in person, that is, sending my very heart, ¹³ whom I wanted to keep with me, so that in your behalf he might be at my service in my ^[a](A)imprisonment for the gospel; ¹⁴ but I did not want to do anything without your consent, so that your goodness would ^(B)not be, in effect, by compulsion, but of your own free will. ¹⁵ For perhaps it was ^(C)for this reason that he was separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever, ^16 (D)no longer as a slave, but more than a slave, ^(E)a beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both ^(F)in the flesh and in the Lord.

¹⁷ If then you regard me as a ^(G)partner, accept him as you would me. ¹⁸ But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account; ^19 (H)I, Paul, have written this with my own hand, I will repay it (^(I)not to ^[b]mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well). ²⁰ Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord; ^(J)refresh my heart in Christ.

^21 (K)Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say.

²² At the same time also prepare me a ^(L)guest room, for ^(M)I hope that through ^(N)your prayers ^(O)I will be given to you.