"Even your brother or your son or your daughter or the wife you love or your closest friend may secretly encourage you to worship other gods, gods that you and your ancestors have never worshiped.

But do not let any of them persuade you; do not even listen to them. Show them no mercy or pity, and do not protect them.

They showed greater loyalty to you Than to parents, brothers, or children. They obeyed your commands And were faithful to your covenant.

What else do I have in heaven but you? Since I have you, what else could I want on earth?

My mind and my body may grow weak, but God is my strength; he is all I ever need.

"Those who love their father or mother more than me are not fit to be my disciples; those who love their son or daughter more than me are not fit to be my disciples.

Not only those things; I reckon everything as complete loss for the sake of what is so much more valuable, the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ

Jacob had intercourse with Rachel also, and he loved her more than Leah. Then he worked for Laban another seven years.

When the LORD saw that Leah was loved less than Rachel, he made it possible for her to have children, but Rachel remained childless.

"Suppose a man has two wives and they both bear him sons, but the first son is not the child of his favorite wife.

until I would rather be strangled than live in this miserable body.

I give up; I am tired of living. Leave me alone. My life makes no sense.

So life came to mean nothing to me, because everything in it had brought me nothing but trouble. It had all been useless; I had been chasing the wind.

and he might be wise, or he might be foolish---who knows? Yet he will own everything I have worked for, everything my wisdom has earned for me in this world. It is all useless.

The LORD says to his people, "I have always loved you." But they reply, "How have you shown your love for us?" The LORD answers, "Esau and Jacob were brothers, but I have loved Jacob and his descendants,

and have hated Esau and his descendants. I have devastated Esau's hill country and abandoned the land to jackals."

Those who love their own life will lose it; those who hate their own life in this world will keep it for life eternal.

As the scripture says, "I loved Jacob, but I hated Esau."

But I reckon my own life to be worth nothing to me; I only want to complete my mission and finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me to do, which is to declare the Good News about the grace of God.

They won the victory over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the truth which they proclaimed; and they were willing to give up their lives and die.