Verse: 1 Timothy 1:15-18
15 You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains. 17 On the contrary, when he was in Rome, he searched hard for me until he found me. 18 May the Lord grant that he will find mercy from the Lord on that day! You know very well in how many ways he helped me in Ephesus.
Devotion
Have you ever been let down by a friend? Or worse, dropped by one? Have you ever had a friend talk behind your back, break their promise, or betray your trust? Sadly, it's happened to all of us.
I always find it encouraging when I read the Bible, and we get to find out how real these people were. It can be too easy to just think that Paul, or Peter, or James were almost superhuman in their faith. It can be easy to elevate them to some status that we can never attain.
The truth is, they were people just like you and I, with personal problems and failures just like you and I have. Here, Paul is sharing how he was deserted by friends in a time of need. I may be reading between the lines a little, but I think he's still hurt. And in his next sentence you can see how deeply grateful he is for the people who came to assist him.
I guess my point is this: if you are going through a hard time in a relationship, or if you've been dropped, betrayed, or hurt, don't give up. Pray that God will bring other people into your life like he did for Paul. Pray for healing so you don't get bitter. Pray for the ability to forgive. And take comfort knowing that believers before you have gone through this too and that, ultimately, Jesus has as well. You are not alone.