It hurts when people write    personal stuff about you;  it’s another thing if that “stuff” is true.

I wonder how it feels.

I wonder how it feels to wake up and discover your friend has written personal stuff about you somewhere.  Stuff that may  – scaringly – be true.

Ask Demas.

Demas was Apostle Paul’s friend, at the end of Paul’s second letter to Timothy. Paul penned this about his buddy.

“For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world. “2 Tim 4:10.

Okay, that’s not the kind of stuff we love to see on our recommendation letters. We love our recommendation letters different. Especially if they are addressed to “To whom it may concern.”

“He’s a hardworking person; any help accorded to him will be appreciated.”

“She bears exceptional leadership qualities; he will greatly benefit your organization.”

“He is a versatile team player; his roles here will remain irreplaceable.”

That’s the kind of stuff we like on our recommendations.

Now, think of this Demas guy. Dude walked with Apostle Paul and all he got from his friend was  one sentence summarizing his life.

”that he loved this present world”.

Whether Paul remembered his buddy’s behavior as he wrote, we can only speculate.

May be Paul remembered that while he  reasoned with nonbelievers in Athens,  Demas was out in the movie première, Maybe as Paul rebuked the Corinthians, his accomplice Demas  stayed in the room watching the latest “Corinthian series” on prime television. Perhaps as Paul warned the Colossians on vain philosophies, Demas was already enrolled at Colosse University – for a short course in Darwin’s evolutionary theory.

Though we   can only speculate Demas’s actions. We can’t speculate about our own. Aren’t we often “head over heels” in love with the present world?

We love the God-ignoring entertainment so we give the excuses. We treasure the new postmodern movement, so we promote reason over faith.  We get the job and slowly forget to be faithful with our tithe. Same job- sometimes a church job – gets us too busy and Bible study, prayer and evangelism are no longer on personal schedule.

So in a way, we end up unable to blame Apostle Paul’s buddy- Demas

“For we indeed love the present world”

I hope the same is never written of us. As it may eventually turn out true.

Dear Lord,

.. that you will teach us to “Set our affections on the things above, not on the things below .(Col 3:2)”