“Waning Enthusiasm”

​Daily Devotional – Thursday, November 18, 2021

​"I know how eager you are to help, and I have been boasting to the churches in Macedonia that you in Greece were ready to send an offering a year ago. In fact, it was your enthusiasm that stirred up many of the Macedonian believers to begin giving.” (2 Corinthians 9:2, NLT)

The Jerusalem Church needed the support of other believers and the Corinthians Church had stepped up with enthusiasm. They were eager to help out and Paul had been telling others about their generosity, which had spurred others on to give as well. However, Paul recognized an inherent problem with enthusiasm; while it is helpful to provide the impetus for making a strong beginning, it is not always enough to see us through to the completion of the thing begun. At times, the initial excitement creates a joy in our service…the work doesn’t feel like work at all. But over time, that same excitement can wane and the real work of bringing the thing to completion begins.

Paul provides some direction. Make a plan. Keep at it. Do it for God. Give generously, not out of guilt. Maybe that’s where the author of Mary Poppins got her inspiration, “Well begun is half done.” Starting well, with enthusiasm, will take us so far, but it often requires hard work to see a thing through.
​
Pastor Jane