How did this happen? How did I end up here? ~ Jon Courson

In the book of Philemon, which preceded the book of Colossians by a couple of years, Demas is called a fellowservant (verse 24). Approximately six years after this, there’s a third mention of Demas, where right before Paul dies, he says, ‘Demas has forsaken us, having loved this present world (II Timothy 4:10).So Demas went from being a fellowservant to one who turned his back on the Lord because he loved the world.'

How did this happen? Here’s how: the Christian life is like a steam locomotive. When you’re first saved and on fire, you stoke the boiler with the Word. You come to church, you’re involved in ministry, and you’re moving along in your faith. But there can come a time when you start to think, ‘Hey, I’m cruising along fine. I don’t need to feed the fire so fervently. I don’t need to study Scripture so consistently. I don’t need to have devotions daily. I don’t need to go to church regularly because, look, I’m really moving!’

But here’s the deal, gang. Once the fire stops being fed, the engine starts slowing down, although imperceptibly at first. Yes, the train keeps moving down the tracks for a time, and everything appears to be going fine, but little by little the engine goes slower and slower until finally it stops dead in its tracks.

You might be able to go weeks, months, even years on the momentum you gained in the early days — but if you don’t continue to feed the fire, eventually you’ll stop altogether. And, like Demas, you’ll say, ‘What happened? How did I end up here?’