What do you love?

Recently my wife and family and I were all placed at a Casino Hotel which was the only hotel accommodations closely situated to the place of our ministry time and was usually complimentary from the Native Americans. We have been so thankful for their hospitality. Recently I got on the elevator to go to my room after an anointed service and overheard an older woman say to an older gentleman, "All my money went to slots tonight." Real depressed they exited the lift. Inside, I was content and joy filled my heart knowing for sure that I was NOT in love with the world.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world... I John 2:15

It reminds me of the three Bible Characters all with names which start with D.

DEMAS, DIOTREPHES, and DEMETRIUS. Each of them had a love, but each one's love was for something different.

Demas: "...Demas has forsaken me [Paul], and has departed for Thessalonica [his home town]..." II Timothy 4:9,10 NKV Paul was facing trial in Rome. Realizing it was too dangerous to be connected with the Apostle whose fate and doom was in the hands of Nero, Demos forsook Paul. Why? His love for money and desire for self preservation led Demas to abandon the hardships and dangers of life of an apostle. In the next century, Chrysostom wrote of Demas: "He chose to live in luxury at home." Why? DEMAS LOVED THE WORLD. I have driven through so many cities and have seen the love of the world upon people's faces. Even within churches and many times sadly upon ministers faces. Thankfully, the world has no mare attraction to me. What once used to pull like a magnet now repels me. Thank God for deliverance from a worldly attraction.

Diotrephes: I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us (3 John 9 NKV). Demas is gone. Now Diotrephes assertive. He is a brother, but his primary motivation is not love of the brethern, but his own ego-drive. I can't begin to tell you the people who I associated with as a young adult. Those especially who were used by God in television. It saddened my heart many times how they were (not always) many times ego driven. Some had proved over time to be legends in their own minds. They thought of themselves more highly then they ought. So many pastors who I have written to had turned me down not because I wouldn't be effective in their church, but the Lord assured me on many occasions, it was their love for preeminence. Thank God for my freedom from preeminence. The need to be celebrated by someone is out of my life. I cannot deliver anyone, unless I am first delivered from everyone; including myself.

Demetrius: Demetrius has a good testimony from all and from the truth itself...(3 John 12 NKJ) Some Bible professors and scholars believed that Demetrius was the silversmith in Acts 19:24 whose business was threatened by Paul's preaching of the Gospel. Upon his conversion, Demetrius had great credibility; 1) with the Christian Community, 2) from the truth itself, and 3) with John. Demetrius loved the truth.

Three loves of three types of ministers. The World, the preeminence, and the truth. What do you love?