The Cost of Discipleship

25 Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 26 ⁿ“If anyone comes to me and ^odoes not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, ^pyes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 ^qWhoever does not ^rbear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not ^sfirst sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not ^tsit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace.

5 For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith ⁱwith virtue,¹ and virtue ^jwith knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control ^kwith steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness ^lwith brotherly affection, and brotherly affection ^mwith love. 8 For if these qualities² are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or ⁿunfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he ^ois blind, having forgotten that he was ^pcleansed from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brothers,³ be all the more diligent to confirm your calling and ^qelection, for if you practice these qualities ^ryou will never fall.

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives ^sthe prize? So ^trun that you may obtain it. 25 Every ^uathlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we ^van imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I ^wdo not box as one ^xbeating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and ^ykeep it under control,¹ lest after preaching to others ^zI myself should be ^adisqualified.