Matthew 16:24-26

²⁴Then Jesus said to us disciples, “If any one of you wants to be my disciple, you must not do only what you yourself want to do. You must be willing to let people hurt you and disgrace you. That is like what they do to criminals whom they force to carry a cross MET to the place where the criminals will be executed. That is what anyone who wants to be my disciple must do.

²⁵You must do that, because those who try to save their lives by denying that they belong to me when people want to kill them for believing in me will not live eternally, but those who are killed because of being my disciples will live with God eternally.

²⁶People might get everything they want in this world, but ◄ if they do not become my disciples, they would really be gaining nothing because they would not get eternal life!/what would they gain if they do not become my disciples and thus do not get eternal life?► RHQ ◄There is absolutely nothing that people can give to God that would enable them to gain eternal life./What can people give to God that could enable them to gain eternal life?► MTY, RHQ