
Devotionals by Raul Ries
SATURDAY July 12, 2025
Forsaken
Be diligent to come to me quickly; for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia.
2 Timothy 4:9-10
Paul desired that Timothy would come to see him as quickly as he could. His days were numbered. “Come quickly, Timothy!” he said. “Hurry up, make haste!” The Apostle sought his company. At this time of imprisonment, he must have felt so alone. Why? Demas, a fellow brother in Christ, had deserted him. Demas had been close to the heart of Paul, and all of a sudden, he was gone. Paul's heart was totally broken, knowing Demas had left following Christ, because he loved this present world.
Again, Paul felt forsaken and utterly abandoned. When things got tough, Demas was gone. The name Demas means “popular” or “ruler of people.” Being a companion of Paul, seeing his suffering and the cost of being a disciple of Christ, must have become unpopular to him. The lure of the world and all it had to offer overcame him. Perhaps his desire to be popular among people drew Demas back into a worldly culture. Sadly, whatever the reason, his choice changed the eternal course of his life.
Jesus ministered to His disciples that they needed to leave the world behind them if they were to count the cost of discipleship. He caused them to evaluate their choices in life––to value their souls:
“Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:34-37).
I have known people who have walked with God, but then left––never to be found again. They disappeared because they loved this present world. What about you? Will you forsake Christ having loved this present world? What will you give in exchange for your soul?
Do not love the world or the things in the world ... the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
~1 John 2:15, 17~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
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About Raul Ries
Author of several books, including Fury to Freedom (the story of his early life and dramatic conversion), Raul Ries has also produced three films: Fury to Freedom (feature film dramatization of the book); A Quiet Hope (a riveting and stirring documentary detailing seven soldier's accounts of the Vietnam War and its aftermath); and A Venture in Faith (a documentary of the history of the Calvary Chapel movement).
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