²⁴ Then Jesus said to his followers, “If any of you want to be my follower, you must stop thinking about yourself and what you want. You must be willing to carry the cross that is given to you for following me. ²⁵ Any of you who try to save the life you have will lose it. But you who give up your life for me will find true life. ²⁶ It is worth nothing for you to have the whole world if you yourself are lost. You could never pay enough to buy back your life.