Read Colossians 4:14–18
Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings.
Colossians 4:14
Demas is mentioned only three times in Paul’s letters, and these
three references tell a sad story. First, Paul calls him “Demas … [one
of ] my fellow workers” and links him with three good men—Mark,
Aristarchus, and Luke (Philem. 1:24). Then, Paul simply calls him
“Demas,” with no special word of identification or commendation
(Col. 4:14). But in the third reference, Paul tells us what became
of him: “Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me”
(2 Tim. 4:10).
At one point in his life, John Mark had forsaken Paul, but he was
reclaimed and restored. Demas forsook Paul and apparently was never
reclaimed. His sin was that he “loved this present world” (2 Tim. 4:10
KJV). Christians today can succumb to the world just as Demas did.
How easy it is to maintain a religious veneer, while all the time living
for the things of this world. Demas thought that he could serve two
masters (Matt. 6:24; Luke 16:13), but eventually he had to make a
decision; unfortunately, he made the wrong decision.
It must have hurt Paul greatly when Demas forsook him. It also
hurt the work of the Lord. This decision hurt Demas most of all, for
he wasted his life on that which could never last.
Something to Ponder
What tends to lure you away from the faith if you aren’t careful?