In the famed “Sermon on the Mount” Jesus said the following as recorded by Matthew: “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain” (Matthew 5:41).  As I consider the words of Christ and the teaching of a second-mile attitude, I think of how little I find that mindset among brethren today.  We certainly are among a generation of weak Christians who instead of being second-mile servants, they are take a break along the first fifteen steps kind of folks.  It would seem that some have the attitude that the Lord asks too much of them, thus they stop far short of the first mile of the spiritual journey that is before us.

     Now, we would not want to be so vague as to allow some misconceptions of who these first 1/8th of a mile quitters we are talking about.  I am writing of those so-called Christians who find themselves falling short of a teaspoon of faithfulness.  Sunday morning comes and they find it amusingly too hard to get out of bed.  If and when they do decide to show up to worship the Lord they appear as though they are preparing to mow the lawn or have a slumber party as they rub their red eyes and add to those dark circles below their eyes.  Preparing physically and mentally to worship God is an impossible concept for those who fail to even partially commit themselves to the Lord.  Mid-week assemblies are a joke to these 1/8th Christians (as if there were such a dog).  You cannot expect a second mile from someone who is unwilling to travel a quarter way around a city block.

     Those whom we are speaking of never spend a moment’s time getting to know the word of the Lord outside of the times they assemble.  They know the Lord wants them to study (John 5:39, Acts 17:10-11, and II Timothy 2:15), but they just don’t care.  These so-called “Christians” don’t pray often (I Thessalonians 5:17).  They know that they can’t teach others, for they themselves are not practicing what they would be preaching (Romans 2:17-24).  Their concept of worship services is: come and go as you may and don’t let the preaching affect you today!  Why would anyone expect such a person to try the second-mile attitude Jesus wants us to have?

     Sadly, those who refuse to have the second-mile mentality have sorely missed the meaning of sacrifice we read about in the New Testament.  With great commitment and sacrifice there is always a great reward.  Even the secular teachers of our day understand that we must work hard to gain much.  Jesus certainly wants Christians to be workers in His vineyard (Matthew 25:14-30).  Just consider, what if Jesus would have said, “twenty-nine years on earth is enough, I’ll call it quits”?

     If Jesus decided to “call it quits” around twenty-nine years of age we would not have anything beyond Luke 3:21-23.  Jesus would not have had to go through temptation in the wilderness.  He would not have healed the sick, raised the dead, casts out demons, etc.  Jesus would not have fulfilled most of the prophesies that are written in the Old Testament of Himself.  Jesus would have never called Peter, Andrew, James, John, or any other of the Apostles.  Jesus would not have preached that famed “Sermon on the Mount”.  Jesus would have never spoken of His resurrection or ours that will come in the final day.  Jesus would not have had sought to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).

     Jesus would not have shed His blood for the remission of sins (Matthew 26:28).  If Jesus would not have finished the course set before Him, there would be no remission of sins (Hebrews 9:22).   The Old Testament would be in effect.  We would serve under an imperfect law that would have never been fulfilled.  Thus, you and I (Gentiles) could not speak of salvation, for salvation would be of the Jews (John 4:22 and Ephesians 2:10-17).  Grace would not have appeared to mankind (Titus 2:11-14).  Jesus would not have foretold of His body the church (Matthew 16:18).  He would not have died to purchase the church (Acts 20:28).  Simply put, if Jesus would have quit short of fulfilling His work on this earth everyone would be doomed.  There would be no hope.  God’s plan would be foiled and Satan would have won.

     Yet, we serve a risen Savior who thought it good to go not just to the cross, but beyond it for you and I to be saved (I Corinthians 15:1ff.).  We serve the Lord Jesus Christ who was far more than a second-mile servant.  He displayed love and sacrifice for all mankind.  He even died for those who rejected Him and slew Him on the cross.  He then had the Gospel preached to them that they too might be saved (Acts 2:14-41).  To be like Christ, we must go the second mile.

     It would seem that many have decided to go into the water of baptism, but failed to come up understanding what it means to turn their lives over to the Lord.  Jesus said: “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.  For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.  For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul” (Matthew 16:24-26)?  Being a servant of the Lord is about giving your life to Him completely.  One who is in Christ is to seek those things which are above, not cling to those things which are here in the present (Colossians 3:1-3).

     The point of fully surrendering one’s life to Christ is made clear in the following text: “And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.  And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.  And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father.  Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God.  And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house.  And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:57-62).  You will not find yourself in Heaven by doing as little as you can to just “get by” in this life.  The Lord requires not just part of you, but all of you.  God does not want the leftovers of your life, He wants the first fruits (Proverbs 3:9).

     When Jesus spoke of going the second mile with one who asks you to go one, He was making the application to those of this world.  Thus, consider how much further we should be willing to go for our Lord who went to the cross for us!  When we give our time, energy, and resources to the Lord, let’s do it right.  Let God see your zeal and love for Him through your actions.  We can be so effective in teaching others and edifying our brethren by being second-mile servants for the Lord.

     We do not want to be of the number of those who seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's (Philippians 2:21).  Faithful Christians are thankful for what the Lord has done that we might be saved.  Some who lack commitment have obviously failed to appreciate the blessings which are abundant in Christ Jesus our Lord.

     Sometimes we have to take a step back and look at our lives.  It is not always easy to see ourselves as others do, both in the good and the bad.  We need to examine what our attitude and actions say about our commitment to the Lord.  We need to ask ourselves if we see Christ in our lives.  Some serve the Lord under a strong delusion that they are of a special unwritten group of Christians who have a one-way ticket to Heaven and they believe they cannot fall away.  Reality is, any Christian can fall short and find a big surprise awaiting them on the Judgment Day (Hebrews 10:38-39).

     The second-mile attitude needs to become more prevalent among brethren today.  The old “I went to church” mentality needs to be put to rest.  First, we don’t go to church, we assemble as the church (I Corinthians 12:27).  Secondly, worshipping God is a privilege, how dare we count such as our only work!  Your life - that is the price.  Heaven – that is the reward.  Make the first step towards the second mile!