Finishing Strong
How do we finish well?
"Proved to be a comfort..." when we live to make Him known, while faithfully serving His people, He will make sure the right people recognize our love, loyalty and leadership. (Colossians 4:11)
Faithfulness, through the good and bad, not only authenticates our confession... but it assures and affirms, to those that count, that our commitment to Jesus and His people are unquestionable.
So we must ask or examine our own faithfulness... is it/we questionable or unquestionable? Sadly, we have too many examples that leave a bitter taste in our mouths. One such illustration is found in the Newer Testament. Paul, at the close of his letter to the Colossians (4:14), mentions a guy named Demas. Demas is a fella that Paul highlights three different times in three separate letters. The letter to Philemon (v24), in Colossians and when he wrote to Timothy from a prison dungeon in Rome (2Timothy4:10). The first time his name is brought up Paul describes him as a fellow laborer (Philemon). But notice how in Colossians he attributes nothing to him when he mentions his name. He spoke of the other men with him and gave each one an affirmation. Some more than others but nothing but a name for Demas. We can only assume, by Paul's faithfulness and consistent pattern, when commending the brethren, has noticed a lack in the faithfulness Demas. And the third time he brings his name to light it's in the negative. He said Demas has forsaken him because of his present love for the world. What's noticed is this... he referred to several as having an unquestionable faithfulness but Demas had already started giving Paul a reason to doubt his love, loyalty |
