Daily Encouragement Net (Print Version)

“Encourage one another daily” (Hebrews 3:13).

A daily, Bible-based perspective of hope, encouragement and exhortation.

Friday, June 10, 2005

"The Long Haul"

"For Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me" (2 Timothy 4:10).

"Are you in it for the long haul?" That's a phrase I recall hearing often many years ago as a young believer. Throughout my years of ministry I have met those who are into the "Jesus thing" for just a phase of their lives. For some it's a very short phase, like the young man I met who said regarding the life of faith, "I tried that, but it didn't work for me." Still others serve Christ for a season in their lives and yet there comes a time when the beckoning call of this present world is just too much for them to bear. I sadly think of several I have known who had diligently served the Lord for many years but in time fell away. Most of the time this was incremental; one small step at a time.

Demas had served faithfully alongside Paul and had been called a "fellow worker" in an earlier letter. Now Paul is coming down to the end of the race and writes what I believe are among the saddest words in the Bible. The word order in the King James Version is even more poignant. "Demas hath forsaken me." Certainly both the immediate and broader context leaves no room for an interpretation that he had merely departed for ministry elsewhere. We are plainly told, he "loved this present world."

Are you in it for the long haul? Today let us again make the commitment many of us did musically at our Christian baptism when we declared, "I have decided to follow Jesus" and ended the song with the phrase "No turning back, no turning back."

Be encouraged today,

Stephen C. Weber

PS: Today's message is especially hard to illustrate in a personal way, but I especially consider a close friend from Bible College who has fallen away.

Note from Brooksyne: Never give up! Never give up praying and believing that God will bring your loved one back to Himself. For over 24 years I prayed that Mom and Dad's faith would be restored. When I was in high school a heartbreaking situation occurred in our family which also involved our pastor and some church members. My mom and dad grew very bitter and instead of waiting upon the Lord for the matter to be resolved they turned their backs away from God. It was a very hurtful period in my life as I was a high schooler who was very excited about following Christ. During that time and the many years that followed I continued to pray for them and finally Stephen and I had the incredible blessing of seeing them both surrender their lives to Christ on an Easter Sunday in Sand Springs, Oklahoma 24 years later. They went on to live faithfully for Jesus until He called them home, only four years later for my dad and six years later for my Mom. What a joyous blessing it was to know they'd reconciled their lives to God before they died.

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Scripture references are from The Holy Bible: New International Version. © 1984 by International Bible Society; NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission; and the King James Version.

Personal Mission Statement: “I am created by God to bring Him glory. Through God’s Son Jesus Christ I have been redeemed and I make it my life’s goal to please the Lord. My mission in life is to honor God through my faith and obedience and to prepare myself and all whom I may influence for eternity.”

"Living today anchored in God’s solid foundation"