DEC 27

Colossians 4:14
Memorise Luke 8:14
“…Luke, the beloved…”

Colossians 4:14 reads “Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.” Luke is well known to us, but Demas not so. Demas is included here as one of Paul’s companions in Rome, and is also similarly included in the letter to Philemon (Philemon 24) which was written at the same time as the epistle to Colossae. However, many years later, when Paul writes his last epistle of 2 Timothy, the circumstances have changed, “For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica” (2 Timothy 4:10). There could be various reasons why Demas left. It could have been due to some care in this world, or temptation by pleasure, or fear of persecution. However what is certain is that he loved the world far more than he loved Christ. Paul takes Demas’ desertion hard, as shown by his plaintive cry in the next verse: “Only Luke is with me…” (2 Timothy 4:11). How sad that: the two men who were once named and commended together, both having so much promise in the ministry, were now in completely opposite states. Demas may have started well, but he ended very badly. Perhaps, he was never really zealous for the Lord in the first place. It is significant that amongst all the companions of Paul listed in Colossians 4, Demas is the only one without a specific commendation. The only thing one could say about him, was that Demas was there. He was present: that was it.

Dear teen, you might be sad that as each year goes by, you start to see some of your peers dropping out of church. You might wonder, after all those years of being in Sunday school together learning about God, why do they then decide to stop coming. Like Demas, they were once physically present, but that was the limit of their involvement, for their hearts were not present. Pretty soon, like Demas, the cares or pleasures of this world would choke their hearts, and they would be lost to the world. Dear teen, how about you? Have you ever looked at the world with envy, and wish you could be like one of them? Will you one day become a Demas yourself, and having loved this present world, leave the Lord whom you now profess to love? May we take the example of Demas as a stern warning to us, that we must never allow the love for the world to draw us away from Christ! Instead, emulate the example of Luke, who remained steadfast till the very end.

Thought: We must not just start well, but also finish well.
Prayer: May I rejoice in every Luke, rather than be depressed with every Demas.