2 Corinthians 8:10–11 (ESV)
¹⁰ And in this matter I give my judgment: this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. ¹¹ So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have.

The “matter” that Paul was referring to in this passage was the benevolence that was being raised for the poor saints at Jerusalem.  Paul was putting together a contribution given by Gentiles to help relieve Jewish Christians who were struggling financially due to a famine that struck the land.

Romans 15:26–27 (ESV)
²⁶ For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. ²⁷ For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings.

This is the same contribution that Paul referred to in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2.  The saints at Corinth agreed to participate in this work a year previously, but they never completed it.  So Paul is now encouraging them to finish what they started.

It is great to begin doing something good, especially when that something involves a work of the Lord, but it only accomplishes something good if the work is finished.  Christians sometimes develop a bad habit of starting a great work for the Lord but never bringing it to completion.  When it comes to serving Christ, we must determine to finish what we start.

The start of our commitment to Christ and His work took place when we obeyed the gospel.   At that time, we were committing to following Jesus, a part of which is putting God’s will before our own.  Jesus reminded us of this kingdom characteristic in Matthew 6 (Matthew 6:33).

To seek first the kingdom of God is to put the rule and reign of God before everything else in our lives.  We started this work when we were baptized into Christ, and now we need to finish it by being faithful until death (Revelation 2:10).

Most of you who are reading this blog tonight, as you wind down, are members of local churches of Christ.  When you joined your local church, you started a good work.  Being members of local churches is clearly God’s will since we find the majority of Christians mentioned in the New Testament were members of local churches.  9 out of the 27 New Testament books were written to local churches.  Two of them were written to Timothy, who preached for the local church at Ephesus for an extended period of time.  If you have joined a local church, you have done what God wanted you to do.  You have started a good work, now you need to finish it by being a productive member of the church (Ephesians 4:16).

Are you helping your local church build itself up?  Are you working properly within the framework of the local church, obeying the elders who have been given the rule over the flock, that is, if the local church you are a member of has elders?  Are you using your talents to help the local church reach its full potential?  Do you give to the Lord when your local church provides its members the opportunity to lay by in store on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:1-2)?  Are you attending the assemblies of the church faithfully (Hebrews 10:25)?

These are some of the good works we started to do when we agreed to work together with other saints in a local church.  We started doing these things and more when we first joined the church.  Now, let us, as Paul said, finish doing it as well.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.