The Second Mile

“If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles.”

Matthew 5:41

I remember going to a store ten minutes before closing time only to be told by the clerk that she was closing early, and that I would have to come back the next day to make my purchase. Clearly, that woman did not own the business! If it had been her store, she would have been pleased to have a customer and stayed open as long as it took.

But because the store was not hers, she had no desire to go the extra mile. She simply performed the bare minimum requirements to keep her job. Her attitude was, “How little can I do and still be paid?”

Aren’t we all like that sometimes? To live a life based on how little you can do is to lead a little life.

When we are truly devoted to a person, dedicated to a ministry, or invested in a cause, we undoubtedly develop a “whatever it takes” attitude and a “second mile” commitment.

There is a better, more God-honoring way for you to live, because great churches, ministries, families, marriages, friendships, and businesses are never built in the first mile. They are built on the second. So ask God to give you strength to go the distance.

Holy Spirit, when I feel like stopping at the first mile, please give me strength and energy to honor the Lord by going as far as it takes.