John 17:1-3 (NLT)[1] After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. [2] For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him.  [3] And this is the way to have eternal life-to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.

DAILY DEVOTION, April 15, 2022

For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica …(2 Timothy 4:10).

Demas was working with Paul. He has come to faith in Jesus Christ. We do not know why he turned away from the Gospel. Perhaps all the suffering that accompanied Paul’s ministry discouraged him. In any event, he made a decision. The attractions of the present world allured him. They seemed more immediate than a future heaven.

So, Demas fell in love with the present and sacrificed the future. He abandoned Paul and went his own way. Did he ever return to the faith? We do not know. We are faced with the same decision. Are we in love with this world, its glamor, and its attractions? Is our love for the world so deep that faith is crowded out? Yes, heaven seems wonderful but is it real? What is our priority? Following Jesus or pursuing the things of this world? Are you more interested in this world or the world to come? Demas turned away from the faith. Don’t let it happen to you.

Father, thank You for Jesus, my Savior, and Master. I pray that the attractions of this world never deter me from following Him. In His name, I pray, Amen.