Lance Wallnau

The Power of the Second Mile!

10154900_10152353005954936_3559774672298919560_nMIDNIGHT WATCH
The Power of the Second Mile!
Jesus taught his disciples…
“He that compels you to go one mile with him, go with him two.” (Mt 5:41)
Weymouth Translation nails it – ” Whoever shall COMPEL YOU TO CONVEY HIS GOODS one mile, go with him two.”
The Roman military could force any Jew to transport their heavy military baggage one thousand paces in any direction. This was a Roman mile.
Jesus told His followers that if they were forced to suffer the indignity of some oppressive service, they should do the opposite of resistance or complaint – they should VOLUNTEER to DO MORE THAN WHAT WAS REQUIRED, i.e. to “go the second mile.”
This is BRILLIANT. Only Jesus could come up with this! Nobody wants to hear what you have to say when you do what is expected of you. It is in the SECOND MILE with the person that you have an opportunity to testify. It is at the start of the second mile that the person becomes curious as to why you are doing what you are doing.
99% of all the other Jews would walk their mile and when done, grunt, drop the burden, wipe the sweat off their brow, glare contemptuously, curse the Roman and walk back to where they were before “compelled” to carry their conqueror's gear.
Not so with the followers of the Galilean Rabbi. They had a different spirit.
LOOK AT THIS FB POST PICTURE
It shows Jesus carrying the military gear of a Nazi soldier. The two are talking as the second mile unfolds. The Jewish Messiah serving the Nazi soldier. This is the picture of how the kingdom reaches everywhere.
Consider how this can apply to us today. When selling or serving, exceed all your customer's expectations. Do more than they anticipated. Deliver WOW!
Want to get a job? Or seeking a promotion in your company? Try this. Make sure you understand the role you seek and what you would do to get superior results. Go to the boss and make an irresistible offer. Volunteer to do the job without compensation and to either “wow” them or quit the experiment with no bad feelings if it doesn't work out.
Consider how God might be working in some situation where you feel “compelled” to serve someone, do something, pay something, you do not want to. How might God be inviting you to a “second mile conversation” with someone?
It is so interesting that this word – “compelled” – is used in a verse that will be read all over the world this week- Matthew 27:32. It describes Simon the Cyrenian, who was “compelled” by the Roman soldiers to carry the cross of Jesus. Perhaps he felt like a singled out minority who was being victimized? Did he feel like the unluckiest spectator in the crowd? And isn't it possible that later he might have become a believer? What a great story he will tell.
Think about this next time you are compelled to do the first mile in any area of your life. The second mile is where the miracles begin.
-Lance