How can preaching expose the danger of early zeal without endurance, and call believers to finish strong?

A common tragedy in spiritual life is not that people never begin, but that they begin with speed and then lose heart. Gary Ryan Blair captured the pattern in a sentence that lands like a proverb: “Many will start fast; few will finish strong” (Blair, cited in Collier, “I Want to Finish Well for God’s Glory,” 2026).

That contrast helps a pastor name two different virtues. Starting fast often flows from excitement, novelty, or fear. Finishing strong requires a deeper strength: steady endurance, repeated obedience, and a settled aim that outlasts the mood of the moment. The line also gives a congregation an honest category for self-examination: not merely “Did I begin?” but “Am I still running?”

Early zeal is common, but faithful endurance is the mark of those who finish strong.

Related Material

• The Dip: Strategic Quitting and Sanctified Perseverance — clarifies perseverance by contrasting faithful staying with wise, criteria-based quitting 
• Rhythms that Keep You Whole — connects endurance to sustainable pastoral rhythms that prevent slow spiritual collapse 
• Pastoral Burnout Diagnostic Questions — gives concrete self-examination prompts for spotting “losing heart” before it becomes failure 

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Source: I Want to Finish Well for God’s Glory

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