Semper Fi - Tychicus

Tychicus will give you a full report about how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper who serves with me in the Lord’s work.

Colossians 4:7

On the morning of November 15, 2004, a mortally wounded U.S. Marine sergeant named Rafael Peralta completed one final act of heroism as he lay dying near the entrance to a terrorist hideout in Fallujah, Iraq. As Marines from his squad stepped over his bloody body, he reached out and grabbed a live enemy grenade that had landed near him. He tucked it under his torso just moments before it exploded, thus saving the lives of several of his comrades.

Officials later praised Peralta for living up to the Marines’ motto, Semper Fidelis (often shortened to Semper Fi), which means “always faithful.” He spent his last months defending his nation’s freedom and his last moments protecting his fellow Marines. Even as he drew his last breath, Rafael Peralta remained faithful.

A man in the Bible named Tychicus was cut from the same cloth. The apostle Paul commended him as a faithful and “beloved brother.” Although the name Tychicus means “fate,” the Lord, not fate, brought Tychicus into Paul’s life.

The faithfulness of Tychicus won Paul’s confidence so thoroughly that the apostle later considered sending him to Crete, a notoriously difficult mission field (see Titus 1:12-13; 3:12). Only a truly faithful comrade could handle such a tough ministry assignment. Paul’s confidence in Tychicus as a faithful coworker never wavered, and even as the apostle neared the time of his martyrdom, he sent Tychicus to Ephesus on a special mission (see 2 Timothy 4:12).

Be honest: Does the term faithful describe you? Could you appear on the same list as Rafael Peralta and Tychicus, the “faithful helper”?

You don’t have to be a U.S. Marine to live by the motto Semper Fi. You can be “always faithful” as a husband, father, friend, or disciple maker. Someone is counting on your faithfulness.