People may fail you... but God never will

People may leave you / Friends may fail you

People will leave for bad reasons

ASTRAY: Demas, in love with the present world, has deserted me and gone to Thesslonica.

Some will leave for good reasons

AWAY: Crescens has gone to Galatia. (ONLY TIME WE SEE HIS NAME IN NT)

Titus to Dalmatia.

Some will come and go

Luke alone is with me.

Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is very useful to me for ministry.

Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus.

There are friends for a reason (learn from their hurts/mistakes), friends for a season, and friends you have for a lifetime.

Things may be lost / Things may fail you

When you come (Timothy), bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas

also the books,

and above all the parchments.

People may betray you /

Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.

Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message.

At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them!

God will stand by you

But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me

so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed

and all the Gentiles might hear it.

So I was rescued from the lion's mouth.

The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom.

To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

Priscila