Don’t Let Your Good Friend Down - Life Lessons From DemasSample

It’s not how you begin, but how you end that matters

Demas was a man who could not govern himself. This man of wavering impulse who surrendered the passion of sacrifice and sank in the swirling waters of the world is a true reflection of the thought that where our love is, there we finally are. And the love in our hearts for this present world or for the future world will determine our final destiny.

There are some painful lessons to observe from Demas. But they call upon us to be vigilant of our motives for being followers of Christ.

−   Difficult times reveal the quality of one’s conversion. Moments don’t define the quality of our conversion, they reveal it.

−   Great Christians can fall. Demas was a guy that no one perhaps would have suspected to abandon his brethren in hard times.

−   What matters most to you will always be revealed. Demas was unable to stay focused on the temporary nature of this life; his love of this world outweighed his love for the next life.

Demas reminds us of how fragile faith can be. More specifically, Demas gives us a spiritual “wake up” call. It is time to pick up!

Often, when an Eskimo needs to kill a wolf, he will take a knife and sharpen it until it is as sharp as it can possibly be.  Then, he will coat that knife with seal or walrus blood, allowing it to freeze.  Then he will dip it and freeze it again and again, until the blade is hidden under several layers of blood.  Then he takes the bloodied knife and freezes the handle into the middle of a block of ice.  He will then set the block of ice out into the open.

Wolves have a tremendous sense of smell, so the wolf will come along, smell the blood and will begin to lick the blood off the blade of the knife.  The wolf will lick that blood with its warm tongue, until it reaches the sharpened blade of the knife.  By the time the wolf’s tongue touches the blade it is numbed by the cold.  When it finally reaches the knife, it keeps on licking, not realizing that he is now tasting his own blood from his own tongue as the knife cuts into its flesh.  The warm blood sends the wolf into a feeding frenzy and he licks until he eventually bleeds to death. Why?  Because of its uncontrolled desire to get to that blood at all costs.  

When you feed the flesh what it wants, you will find that its appetite grows beyond your control.  It will demand more than you can give it!  Be careful what you allow into your life.  It might be your pleasure today, but it may become your master tomorrow!

Are the cold tendrils of sin trying to wrap themselves around your heart?  If you can see yourself beginning to go down the slippery slope toward sin, it is not too late to turn back to the Lord.  He will receive you and forgive you.  Maybe you have realized that you are not even saved today.  If that is the case, He will forgive you and receive you into His family if you will come to Him.  Maybe you have someone in your life and you love them, but you can see them beginning to take the wrong path in life.  I challenge you to come before the Lord and lift their name up to God in prayer.

Quote: "Beginning well is a momentary thing; finishing well is a lifelong thing." - Ravi Zacharias

Prayer: Lord I pray that you would help me to finish well. Amen