Category: Devotions

I didn’t intend to have a little series on ‘where have your friends gone’ in approaching the last of Paul’s writings before he was executed. If I hadn’t then I would have entitled this something like, ‘even the greatest apostle couldn’t heal everyone.’

“… and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus.” (2 Timothy 4 v 20)

Trophimus was with Paul on his third missionary journey (Acts 20). He was with Paul in the Jerusalem riot (Acts 21). However, this devoted companion of this great apostle who had risked his own life for the gospel is left behind. He hasn’t walked away from the gospel or Paul. He hasn’t been unfaithful. He was left behind due to illness.

Paul the miracle worker who had handkerchiefs placed on him and then taken to the sick to be made well. Paul the miracle worker who did “extraordinary miracles” (Acts 19) Paul had the gift of healing. But when it came to his faithful friend and ministry partner, healing didn’t come.

It reminds us that:

• Healing isn’t earned.
• Healing is according to what God is purposing.
• Healing isn’t a science nor does it need explaining when it doesn’t happen.
• Paul doesn’t try and explain the reason why he wasn’t healed.
• Paul doesn’t blame Trophimus for a lack of faith.
• Paul doesn’t become derailed by healing not coming.

I was thinking the last few days of a lady I met who had survived the super-typhoon Yolanda in the Philippines, in 2013. She was an amazing lady who had survived by standing under the only remaining part of her house, the door frame. I had met her in the ruins of her home and highlighting her story we raised money for a new home for her. Yesterday I heard she had died a few years ago with a stroke. I don’t understand why God saves us in a typhoon but we die from an illness later. But it isn’t something new. Paul also knew these thoughts.

We don’t know what happened to Trophimus after Paul left Miletus. Did he eventually recover? Did he die from his illness? The silence is itself instructive. Not every story has a neat resolution. Not every prayer receives the answer we seek. Yet God’s purposes continue to unfold, often in ways we cannot see.

Trophimus, a disciple of Christ, a ministry partner of the apostle, remaining sick, speaks loudly to so many today. This is authentic faith. A faith that remains when the healing doesn’t come.

In our desire to do great things for God, we shouldn’t overlook the importance of staying where God has placed us. I have heard more prophecies about moving than staying. I believe it is possible that some people have moved from unique positions that God has been using them in when to stay would have been better for kingdom purposes. Sometimes the most strategic thing you can do is stay exactly where God has placed you and serve Him there with all your heart.

Why do I say all that? It is an introduction to this verse:-

“Erastus stayed in Corinth…” – 2 Timothy 4:20

If this is the same Erastus as in Romans 16:23, “Erastus, the city treasurer”,  the one who sends greetings to the Roman church, then this city treasurer of Corinth is particularly significant. His position demonstrates how the early church drew converts from various social levels, including those with significant civic influence.

This is not abandonment by Erastus but it points to strategy. Corinth was a crucial commercial and cultural centre, having a mature believer of Erastus’s calibre would have been invaluable for the ongoing work of the church.

God uses people in their own contexts. Where you are right now and whatever you are doing cam be a tremendous platform for the kingdom.

God’s mission has different callings. The church needs both those who go and those who stay, both those who plant and those who water, both those who evangelise and those who establish.

God sees remaining as being faithful as well as going. Staying can be just as strategic and sacrificial as going. It takes faith to remain when opportunities elsewhere might seem more exciting.

May we all have the wisdom to know whether we’re called to go or to stay, and the faithfulness to serve wherever God has placed us.

Yesterday I noticed a whole team of people supporting their Pastor up to 2 hours before people arrived. This is not unique I know but I noticed it. Paul is at the end of his life and he is remembering friends and people who detached their friendship from him. Here are some more people whose names are familiar. The first two from Acts and the letters of Romans and 1 Corinthians and of course previously in his first letter to Timothy. It’s a simple message but clearly they hold a special place in his heart and ministry.

“Greet Priscilla and Aquila and the household of Onesiphorus.” (2 Timothy 4 v 19)

Priscilla and Aquila stand out as one of the most remarkable ministry partnerships in the New Testament. This married opened their home, their trade, and their hearts to advance the gospel. What’s striking is that Priscilla is often mentioned first – unusual for the time period – suggesting she may have been the more prominent teacher or leader between them. Those of us who support women in ministry notice these things.

The household of Onesiphorus represents another fascinating glimpse into early church life. Paul mentions in 2 Timothy 1:16-18 how Onesiphorus “was not ashamed of my chains” and “searched hard for me until he found me” in Rome. While we don’t know if Onesiphorus himself was still alive when Paul wrote these final greetings, his household clearly continued the legacy of faithfulness and service.

The brevity of this greeting doesn’t diminish its power – sometimes the shortest acknowledgments carry the deepest affection. In just a few words, Paul honours partnerships that shaped eternity.

We can so easily overlook some verses in the Bible and this is one of those.

Paul’s personal warmth challenges us to consider: Who are the Priscillas, Aquilas, and households of Onesiphorus in our own lives? Who has opened their home, shared their resources, or stood by us when it was costly? And perhaps more importantly, whose names might we mention with gratitude if we were writing our own final letters?

To anyone who has felt abandoned, betrayed, or alone in their struggles, there is an important truth to remember: Abandonment by man doesn’t mean abandonment by God. This is the heart of what Paul says in some of his final words to Timothy.

“At my first defence, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (2 Timothy 4 v 16-18)

Picture the scene: the great apostle, once surrounded by fellow believers and ministry partners, now standing alone in a Roman courtroom. “No one came to my support,” he writes with striking honesty. “Everyone deserted me.”

This wasn’t just any ordinary abandonment. Paul was facing his final trial, likely before Emperor Nero himself. His life hung in the balance, and those he had served, taught, and loved were nowhere to be found. The very people who had benefited from his ministry, who had seen his sacrifice and dedication, had melted away when the stakes became highest.

Yet Paul’s response reveals something extraordinary about his character and faith.

We all have experienced people walk away or not turn up when we expected they would.

What does Paul teach us?

• Pray for them. “May it not be held against them.”
• Acknowledge Him. God is in the darkness.
• Continue. God’s presence wasn’t there to comfort but to bring courage to continue, even in a courtroom, to fulfil the calling God has given you.
• Circumstances may remain. God’s deliverance sometimes means preservation through suffering rather than removal from it. “The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom.”
• Keep your eyes ahead. This life isn’t all about your escape from earth’s difficulties but rather it is all about your arrival into heaven’s glory.
• Worship. “To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” When we truly understand God’s faithfulness, even our deepest disappointments can become occasions for praise.

In the end you are never alone.

Opposition isn’t optional for followers of Jesus—it’s inevitable. Ministry and discipleship both come with their share of resistance, because opposition is woven into the fabric of life itself. Even the great Apostle Paul faced it, so we shouldn’t expect immunity.

Paul writes candidly about Alexander the metalworker: “Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done. You too should be on your guard against him, because he strongly opposed our message” (2 Timothy 4:14-15).

In reflecting on friends—those he commissioned, those who disappointed him, and those who may never have been true friends at all—Paul offers us a masterclass in handling opposition. His approach to Alexander reveals five crucial principles:

1. Name the Reality

Paul identifies Alexander by name. Sometimes we’re so wounded that merely hearing someone’s name triggers anxiety. But naming your opposition robs it of its power over you. When you can say the name without flinching, you’ve taken back control.

2. Acknowledge the Damage

Paul doesn’t sugarcoat the impact: Alexander “did me a great deal of harm.” Minimizing hurt only keeps you trapped in it. Honest assessment is essential—the harm happened then, but it doesn’t have to harm you now.

3. Trust God’s Justice

Rather than seeking revenge, Paul entrusts Alexander to divine justice: “The Lord will repay him.” This surrender requires ultimate forgiveness—releasing the person who hurt you into God’s hands.

4. Exercise Practical Wisdom

Forgiveness doesn’t equal foolishness. Paul warns others to “be on your guard against him.” You can forgive someone completely while still protecting others from potential harm. This isn’t character assassination—it’s wisdom.

5. Keep the Bigger Picture

Paul recognizes that Alexander opposed “our message,” not just Paul personally. The apostle’s primary concern remained the gospel. Opposition should prompt us to ask: How can I respond in a way that serves the greater purpose, not just my personal interests?

When your own “Alexander the metalworker” appears, may you respond with Paul’s blend of honesty, faith, and practical wisdom.

He didn’t write letters that made it into the New Testament, plant famous churches or perform recorded miracles. He is only mentioned once. But one day Paul asked him to take care of some things for him.

Timothy is planning to visit Paul in prison.

“When you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas, and my scrolls, especially the parchments.” (2 Timothy 4 v 13)

Carpus, what’s your role in the grand scheme of things?

“I’m the keeper of the winter coat.”

In many ways, Carpus embodies the vast majority of Christian service throughout history. Faithful, practical, often unnoticed, but absolutely essential to the work of God’s kingdom. His brief mention reminds us that behind every great ministry are people like Carpus: reliable, trustworthy, and willing to help with whatever needs doing, even if it’s just holding onto someone’s winter coat and a few books.

At the end of his life, all Paul had left, was a cloak and a few books. Even then he had left them with a friend, perhaps because he was arrested quickly before imprisonment.

Parchments were expensive, precious items, likely containing portions of Scripture or important theological works.

At the end of his life, with his desire for these parchments and his books, we see the heart of a lifelong learner, a man whose passion for knowledge and truth never dimmed, even in the shadow of execution.

We all need friends to hold our coats.

We all need friends who can carry our books.

We all need friends to carry out the most mundane acts of service so that we can survive our difficulty and continue to grow in God.

Paul knows his time is short, we have already seen how he writes of his departure being at hand and having fought the good fight. Yet even in these desperate circumstances, his mind remains focused on the churches he has planted and the leaders he has trained.

We will now read a short sentence which gives some insight into what apostolic leadership actually is.

“I sent Tychicus to Ephesus.” – 2 Timothy 4:12

It demands the careful development and deployment of reliable leaders who can carry on the work when the founding apostle is no longer available.

It always placing the mission and the welfare of others above personal preferences, even in the most difficult circumstances.

Tychicus has appeared in Paul’s writings in places like Ephesians 6 v 21-22 and Colossians 4 v 7. He was a good friend to Paul.

Ephesus was no random assignment. Ephesus was arguably the most important church in Paul’s apostolic network, a metropolitan centre where he had invested three years of intensive ministry. The church there served as a hub for reaching the entire province of Asia Minor.

By the time of 2 Timothy, Ephesus likely faced significant challenges. False teachers were infiltrating the church (1 Timothy 1:3-7), and the spiritual climate was deteriorating. The church needed mature, tested leadership during this critical period. By sending away one of his closest and most reliable companions, Paul was choosing the needs of the church over his own comfort during his final, lonely days.

So what more can we learn?

• Send your friends. They need to be used of God as much as you. Celebrate that.
• Sacrifice for your friends and the mission. Don’t hold on to them for your own needs.
• Strategic thinking regarding your friends. What is best for them? What is best for where you are cheering them on to? Paul didn’t send Tychicus randomly but strategically placed him where his particular gifts and experience would be most effective.

Two great friends in ministry parted company over one man, who we see makes a remarkable comeback, in the verse we read today. The disagreement was because of this: ““From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.” (Acts 13 v 13) His full name was John Mark and the two great friends, Barnabas and Paul, became divided later when Barnabas wanted to bring him back into the team and Paul didn’t think it wise at that time. “They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus,” (Acts 15 v 39). That was the last time we hear of Barnabas. Sadly some friends never make it back together.

What have I learnt about friendship that divides?

It happens; parting company doesn’t solve the problem; not many apologise; because God makes things work together for good, it only reveals the ‘things’ were bad, so let’s call the disagreements bad instead of declaring they were right; in division some will drift away and may never be heard of again and others may be spurred on to other things.

But as we come to read this next sentence there is a startling discovery. Writing from a Roman prison, likely facing imminent execution, the great apostle makes an urgent request:

“Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” (2 Timothy 4 v 11)

What an amazing turnaround. Yes, it does happen. Time can heal. People do change for the better. The young man who once fled from hardship had become someone Paul specifically wanted by his side during his darkest hour.

Paul had watched friends leave him for good and bad reasons now he reaches out. He wasn’t just asking for an assistant; he was reaching out for a faithful friend who had proven himself reliable and valuable to Paul.

• If you have friends who you know you can call on at a time of need then you are very rich.
• Friendship is a journey and things can go wrong but don’t discard your friend for good. With grace and time they can end up being hugely important for you.
• If you are in ministry then the greatest help you need, is not to be lifted out of your ‘prison’ or some other miraculous provision, but friendship.

Who are the “Marks” in our lives? Not necessarily those we have had disagreements over or who have left us in the past, though it could be those. But those that we can count on when life gets difficult? In the end, it is all about one thing, friendship.

In slowing down this farewell from Paul to Timothy we get the opportunity to hear the Spirit speak through God’s Word. We are going to read five simple words that show us that the power of friendship is often in the fact that you are present. Have you ever heard or said this, “I can’t believe you came to see me.” There is one better than that, “I can’t believe you stayed.”

Throughout the book of Acts, which Luke wrote, we often find passages with the word, ‘we’, revealing that this doctor was present in many of Paul’s travels. He was with him in the shipwrecks, imprisonments and many dangers. Now when others have left him, some for legitimate reasons of the gospel, others because they loved the world, we have five amazing words.

“ Only Luke is with me…” (2 Timothy 4 v 11)

If all you read is Paul lamenting then read it again. I read it as a wonderful acknowledgment of Luke. One true friend is enough. Luke lifted Paul’s mood when everyone else walked out. Paul had someone who truly saw him for who he was, who believed in him and who stood by him. Do you have someone like that? Are you that someone?

Here are 7 thoughts about the friendship of Luke.

This friendship is more than a comfort. It reminds of the value and the calling of the individual.

This friendship’s power is to walk in when others walk out.

This friendship reveals the character of God who is completely faithful.

This friendship receives as well as gives. Luke is here at the end of Paul’s teachings and life and is part of this wonderful Bible story that lasts for ever. That is quite an achievement!

This friendship chooses commitment not comfort and it this costs not only our own needs but at times our reputation.

This friendship sees beyond the temporal difficult circumstance of our ‘prisons’ to who we really are.

This friendship redefines success and finds purpose even in our darkest seasons.

“Only Luke is with me.” As we navigate our own relationships and commitments, may we aspire to be the kind of people others can count on in their final chapters. May we be someone’s Luke—faithful, present, and unwavering when the going gets tough.

We are at the end of Paul’s life. This second letter to Timothy has been filled with emotion and as we come to the end of it Paul is vulnerable as he contemplates on the people he has had in his life.

When I became a Pastor there was a sought after preacher who everyone wanted to hear. Several years ago now a friend attended his funeral. It wasn’t really a Christian funeral, in fact, one of the eulogies came from a work colleague, who said “when he started at work he told us he was a Pentecostal Pastor but then he became one of us” he then quoted something that he was well known for, which wasn’t fitting for any Christian.
What makes men and women move from such places in God to become shadows of who they were?
What do they think about when they’ve walked away?
Do they still pray?
Do they rubbish their experience of God?
Did they have anything to walk away from?

“Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.” (2 Timothy v 9-10)  

Crescens and Dalmatia were seemingly commissioned to represent missionary departures. Paul mentions them matter-of-factly, without emotion or judgment, because their leaving advanced the very cause for which Paul himself was imprisoned.

But Demas? This is where we become sad. Perhaps you know of a Demas?

Some may think it was an abandoning of his salvation. But maybe it wasn’t.

It could be simply this, the choice between looking after an old Apostle trapped in prison, going nowhere, the thrill of missionary journeys having ended, well, it doesn’t sound like fun does it? Demas needed to live his life, he needed to see the world and get what it had to offer him, he had dreams you see. If so, it hurt.

This wasn’t a fair-weather friend walking away, this was a close associate, someone who had seen the power of the gospel firsthand, someone who had witnessed Paul’s unwavering faith through previous imprisonments.

This makes his desertion all the more painful. It’s one thing to be abandoned by strangers; it’s another to be left by those who once stood beside you in the work of the kingdom.

We don’t know what became of Demas after Thessalonica. Did he ever return? Did he find what he was looking for in the temporal pleasures of this world? History is silent on his ultimate fate.

The question remains: When the cost of faithfulness rises, what will our response be? Will we, like Demas, choose the temporary comfort of this world?

The choice, as it was for Demas, remains ours.

If you had a friend who became a Demas, it will have hurt you but draw comfort as Paul looks back on those that were with him, some stayed and some left, yet he has remained faithful to God.