Whoever does not carry his own cross<n id="1" /> and follow<n id="2" /> me cannot be my disciple.

For David himself says in the book of Psalms,p> <p class="otpoetry">&#8216;<b><i>The Lord said to myi>b><n id="1" /> <b><i>lord,i>b>p> <p class="otpoetry">&#8220;<b><i>Sit at my right hand,i>b>p>

For my flesh is true<n id="1" /> food, and my blood is true<n id="2" /> drink.

The one who eats<n id="1" /> my flesh and drinks my blood resides in me, and I in him.<n id="2" />

<p class="bodytext">Timothy, my fellow worker, greets you; so do Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater, my compatriots.<n id="1" />

My conversation and my preaching were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

If<n id="1" /> I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unproductive.

<t /><p class="bodytext">So then, my brothers and sisters,<n id="1" /> dear friends whom I long to see, my joy and crown, stand in the Lord in this way, my dear friends!p>

The one who conquers<n id="1" /> I will make<n id="2" /> a pillar in the temple of my God, and he will never depart from it. I<n id="3" /> will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God (the new Jerusalem that comes down out of heaven from my God),<n id="4" /> and my new name as well.

He told them, &#8220;You will drink my cup,<n id="1" /> but to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to give. Rather, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.&#8221;p>

John<n id="1" /> testified<n id="2" /> about him and shouted out,<n id="3" /> &#8220;This one was the one about whom I said, &#8216;He who comes after me is greater than I am,<n id="4" /> because he existed before me.&#8217;&#8221;

But I see a different law in my members waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that is in my members.

<t /><p class="bodytext">So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence but even more in my absence, continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence,<n id="1" />

To the one who had said this, Jesus<n id="1" /> replied,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Who is my mother and who are my brothers?&#8221;

And pointing<n id="1" /> toward his disciples he said, &#8220;Here<n id="2" /> are my mother and my brothers!

For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is<n id="1" /> my brother and sister and mother.&#8221;p>

<p class="otpoetry">&#8216;<b><i>The Lord said to my lord,i>b><n id="1" />p> <p class="otpoetry">&#8220;<b><i>Sit at my right hand,i>b>p> <p class="otpoetry"><b><i>until I put your enemies under your feeti>b>&#8221;&#8217;?<n id="2" />p>

He proclaimed,<n id="1" /> &#8220;One more powerful than I am is coming after me; I am not worthy<n id="2" /> to bend down and untie the strap<n id="3" /> of his sandals.

And looking at those who were sitting around him in a circle, he said, &#8220;Here<n id="1" /> are my mother and my brothers!

For the instant<n id="1" /> the sound of your greeting reached my ears,<n id="2" /> the baby in my womb leaped for joy.<n id="3" />