Acts 15

Acts 15:37-38
Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work.
 
Mark, the Deserter.
 
Have you ever let someone down and it soured their opinion of you? That can be a devastating blow. You can imagine how John Mark must have felt. He quit, and many speculate he was faint of heart. He turned back after putting his hand to the plow. Barnabas chose to let things pass, but the Apostle Paul lost his trust in the young man of promise. And the book of Acts never mentions Mark’s name again.
 
Maybe you’ve messed up and think you’ve wrecked your future. But, listen—you may have come to the end of a chapter, but that does not mean it’s the end of the story.
 
Keep moving forward.
 
Shortly thereafter, Mark sits down with the Apostle Peter and pens the Gospel that bears his name. Then tradition tells us that Mark goes on to take Christianity to the continent of Africa. Nearly 20 years after his season of faintheartedness, this saint courageously dies as a martyr in the streets of Alexandria.
 
Mark, the Deserter, has been remembered today as Mark, the Evangelist.
 
Just because people may give up on you, and you may even be tempted to give up on yourself, God never puts down the pen. He’s still writing your story!