But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave. | It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave. |
He sat down, called the twelve disciples over to him, and said, “Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else.” | He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” |
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Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. | Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. |
Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.” | Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” |
Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.” | He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” |
Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” | Then he said to them all, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” |
But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants. | But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God. |
Anyone who wants to serve me must follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And the Father will honor anyone who serves me. | Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honor. |
The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. | For what the flesh desires is opposed to the Spirit, and what the Spirit desires is opposed to the flesh; for these are opposed to each other, to prevent you from doing what you want. |
And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him. | And without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. |
The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. | The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish, but all to come to repentance. |
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. | Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. |
If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. | For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. |
For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. | For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation and brings no regret, but worldly grief produces death. |
You adulterers! Don’t you realize that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? I say it again: If you want to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God. | Adulterers! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. |
If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. | For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. |
If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. | For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. |
But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? | For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? |