Alexander the coopersmith did me great harm; the LORD will pay him back for his deeds. You also must beware of him, for he strongly opposed our message.

At my first defense no one came to my support, but all deserted me. May it not be counted against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, 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 attack and save me for his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

2 Timothy 4:14-18

It is crucial to distinguish between personal wrongs, which we must be willing to forgive, and deliberate attacks on the gospel of Christ, which the Lord will judge. Paul drew that distinction in his letter to his young friend Timothy. The "harm" Alexander had done to Paul was not to him personally but to his message, and he was now engaged in stirring up opposition to Timothy’s proclamation of the gospel. It is sad that Paul’s fellow Christians deserted him in his hour of deepest need. They were deserving of his righteous anger. But Paul asked that it not be charged against them.

Treat other’s faults as graciously as you do your own.

Our Daily Bread – December 11, 2003