Friends Matter

2 Timothy 1:15-18
15 You are aware that p all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. 16 May the Lord grant mercy to q the household of Onesiphorus, for he often r refreshed me and was not ashamed of s my chains, 17 but when he arrived in Rome t he searched for me earnestly and found me— 18 may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on u that Day!—and you well know all the service he v rendered at Ephesus.

One of the things i remember about my father was his willingness to stand alone. While he was far from perfect, what I remember about him was that he stood for what he perceived to be right, even when the odds were stacked against him. But as I reflect back on his life, I would suggest that his preference was not to stand alone, but rather to stand back to back with someone else. He was ferociously loyal to his friends, and if he needed to "fight a battle", he wanted to do it with someone else.

I have come to understand that I don't like fighting battles alone. I want to be willing to stand alone, but I would prefer to do so with others. It seems like this was Paul's preference as well. He is clear about the two who turned and ran, and the one (Onesiphorus) who stood. We need people like Onesiphorus, and we need to be like Onesiphorus. Paul is clear, we will have to stand, we will suffer, but we should not do so alone. Brody my friend, I pray that over the next years we will stand together for the sake of the Gospel. God bless.