Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.
Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.{Matthew 5:38-42, KJV}
If you find yourself doing the bare minimum to scrape by on some days, know that you are not alone. We all experience some days when we feel like we are barely surviving, but we should be thriving!
If you stop writing that paper as soon as you hit the 3 page requirement or do just enough laundry to get by for the week (okay now, let’s be honest!), it’s doing just the minimum.
If we invite someone to church we can quench our duty for the day and say, “Well I invited someone to church today, it’s up to them to come now,” when in fact we can do so much more!
Our duty is to go one mile, but Jesus said to do your duty and then go an extra mile!
Not only should we be inviting people to church, and speaking truth to them, but we can do so much more. Listen and be a friend to those that need a friend, be a person who offers to pray for those around you that need a healing, demonstrate your love of God by loving His children.
How much more effective could we be in our ministries if we would simply go that extra mile?
When we do more than is expected of us “just because,” we show the world our love for Jesus, His truth, and His children. Jesus said if someone asks for your coat, give them your cloak too. Be a giver, and don’t withhold anything if you can be a blessing to someone.
We can all agree and proclaim that Jesus has been more than good us. He has washed us clean with the blood that he shed on Calvary, brought us into His marvelous light, and given us the privilege to serve Him and be called by His name. What an honor! He has healed us and saved us from many aches and scars in this world. Because you are healed, whole, and saved, you can look beyond yourself and SERVE. Be kind, be generous, be the absolute definition of a servant of Jesus.
Take some time to reflect and think of some areas in life in which you could go an extra mile.
Go the extra mile on that school assignment, go the extra mile in helping your neighbor, go the extra mile in being a friend, go the extra mile in showing someone you love them, go the extra mile in loving your enemies, go the extra mile when you most want to sit down.
We have been called to serve: we have been called to go the extra mile.
