I was reading someone’s comments about this particular situation and the life of Demas. The writer made a point that I hadn’t really thought about before. He said that, you must consider the fact that Demas was serving with, arguably, the greatest apostle of all time. Paul was so faithful in his service to Christ, so loyal to the cause of Christ. He endured so much, and demonstrated his love, his faithfulness and his fidelity in so many ways. With these considerations in mind, you would think that anyone who was associated with, who worked with, Paul would be so overwhelmed and so affected by the life of this good man, that they could not possibly fall away! But in Demas, we see that faithfulness, fidelity, and love for Christ do not “rub off” on us. We see that WE are responsible for working out our own salvation. Each individual is responsible for building, for developing, their OWN faith in God and His Son. No one can build or develop someone else’s faith.

Paul had a prison cell; Demas choose the freedom of Thessalonica. Demas may have chosen the immediate blessing or taken the easy way out, but Paul chose the eternal blessing. Which is it for you? Which is it for me? Shall we be like Demas and be led away, or be affected by a love for this world? Will our choice be to abandon, or forsake, the cause of Christ? Or shall we be like Paul—faithful, loyal and diligent to the very end? I choose Paul and I know you do, too.