Jesus said, "Whoever shall
force you to go one mile, go with him two" (Matt. 5:41). He was referring
to the law where a Roman soldier could compel any Jew to carry his backpack for
one mile. The pack weighed 66 pounds and if you refused
to carry it you would be flogged.
Imagine being on your way to your
destination when a Roman soldier orders you to carry his 66-pound pack. It
would be hard to carry it for one mile but now Jesus tells you to carry it an extra
mile. So now you must carry it two
miles and then walk two miles back to your original starting point, which now
makes four miles. (Remember, you're not
driving a car.)
After carrying it for a mile the
soldier says, "You can put it down now." You reply, "I’d like to
carry it for another mile." The soldier says, "Why would you want to
do that?" You answer, "Jesus told me to do this for you." Now
you have an opportunity to share your faith with this Roman soldier as you walk
that extra mile. By going above and beyond your expected duty, his heart opens to
what you have to say. There's no telling how many Roman soldiers became
Christians during that second mile.
We don't carry packs for soldiers anymore, so what does the second mile look like today? It’s doing more
than what’s expected at your job, at home, and everything you do. When
husbands and wives argue and fight, their hearts
can become closed toward each other. But when they go out of their way to
bless their spouse, their hearts open up to each other. Going the extra mile
at your job might get you a promotion, but your motivation for doing extra is not to get credit. It's to please God.
Remember,
it’s not the first mile where miracles occur. It’s the second mile.
CLICK HERE to read more: “What
does going the second mile mean?”
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Making Life Count Ministries
P.O. Box 680174
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www.makinglifecount.net Twitter: @KentCrockett
