Now finish the work.
—2 Corinthians 8:11
When the Corinthians heard of the need of Jerusalem Christians, they were the first church to express a desire to help. Great start! Commendable beginning! Exemplary commencement!
But it seems that their initial enthusiasm had diminished. So, Paul urged them to complete what they had begun: “Finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it” (2 Cor 8:11).
Likewise, the Galatians went from hot to cold. Paul chided them: “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from him who called you. . . . You were running well—who stopped you?” (Gal 1:6; 5:7).
What’s the status of your excellent intentions and enthusiastic resolutions? Still hot, I hope. “Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit” (Rom 12:11).
As Allen Isbell cautions:
“Don’t end the game on third base.”