Matthew 5:40“If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. 41″Whoever forces you to go one mile, go with him two.

In the day that Jesus walked the earth Rome was in great power. It was the law that if a Roman soldier demanded you to carry his luggage or aid in a military effort you had to participate in carrying that load for one mile. It is with this context that Jesus gives this command that if those who are actually suppressing you, commanding you to go one mile, instead go two. Going the second mile is not natural to us. Most people do only what is required. However, for the believer in Jesus, He calls us to go farther. We go the second mile not out of obedience to Him only, but in hopes to deliver His heart to those who are in our lives. Second mile services do not just speak well of us; they speak well of Him.

Today I want to give you the first of a few reasons why you should go the second mile.

First, go the second mile for others because Jesus went the second mile for you. John 3:16 explains how God sent Jesus from heaven to earth for you. Romans 5:8 declares, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus did not wait for us to come to Him. Instead, He crossed every distance imaginable to come to us

When I think of Zacheaus, I see how Jesus went the second mile to reach him. Jesus did not call it enough to simply walk past where he was perching in a tree. Rather, Jesus went all the way to his house. I believe it was the second mile of actually going to his house that proved that he could be made right with God. It was after the second mile that Zacheaus committed to giving anything he had taken from people unjustly back. It was after the second mile that he repented.

When I think of a woman at the well I see Jesus going the second mile. Jesus went through Samaria. Jesus went through a town others would have avoided. He went the second mile to reach her. When I think of my life, I can see first hand how Jesus has gone the extra mile to reach me, disciple me, discipline me, forgive me, and rescue me over and over again.

Jesus goes the extra mile to reach people today. Jesus will go the extra mile to reach you.
I hope there is someone in your life who has gone the extra mile for you. My guess is that you have most likely had someone do that for you at times when you did not even realize it. Now the challenge to us is to go the extra mile for others. Don’t go the second mile out of duty. Go the extra mile out of a heart of gratitude realizing that Jesus did the same for you.

Today’s Challenge: Pray and ask God to show you the opportunities you will have today to go the extra mile. Joyfully go the extra mile with the hope that the person you are serving will see the goodness of Jesus in you and ask about the hope that resides in your life.