If anyone has ever traveled the second mile for others, it was Jesus. Paul said that Jesus emptied Himself. How did He do this? He did it by giving up the riches of heaven, taking on the form of a servant, and being made in the likeness of men (2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:5-8). Why did He do this? He did it so we could be provided with an opportunity for heaven. We can only imagine the great sacrifice that was involved in such an act. However, not only did our Lord give up heaven for a time, He went to the cross and died for our sins. Certainly Jesus went the second mile for us. Furthermore, not only did Jesus go the second mile, He also encouraged those who would be citizens in His kingdom to do the same. “And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain” (Matthew 5:41). The words of Jesus here focus upon the heart. Going the second mile depends on a willing disposition, for it involves going beyond the call of duty, and doing more than one is expected to do. Let us consider a few things associated with going the second mile.

The second mile shows our true attitude toward serving Christ

The Roman government, during the days of Jesus, gave their officers the right to press any citizen into service at any time. Simon, who helped Jesus carry his cross, is a good example of this. “And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name; him they compelled to bear his cross” (Matthew 27:32). This was a regular occurrence during that day. If an officer had a package or a message to deliver, he could stop any citizen and order him to deliver it. It was with these conditions in mind that Jesus made His statement concerning the second mile. If the person compelled to go a mile would go two, he would show that he did so, not with anger or disgust, but with willingness. This is the attitude that we should display as Christians. However, too many of us try to just get by. We do just what God expects, but not one bit more. It is those possessing this kind of attitude who remain in the first mile realm, showing a lack of real love for God, and a disinterest in really wanting to please Him. On the other hand, those who love pleasing Go d will go beyond the call of duty. Paul was this kind of person. Notice the context of 1 Corinthians 9:14-18:

Ver. 14: Paul shows that gospel preachers have the right to be supported financially. This is the context of 1 Corinthians 9. Paul gave several examples in making this point (vers. 4ff)

Ver. 15: Paul reminds the Corinthians that he did not take advantage of his liberty to receive support from them, but instead, he preached the gospel without charge so that he would not hinder the gospel in any way, and so his glorying would not be made void.

Ver. 16: In verse fifteen Paul mentioned something that gave him grounds to glory, but in this verse he tells us why he could not glory. He could not glory in the fact that he preached the gospel, for he was called directly from heaven to do that (Acts 9:15; 26:16-19). Paul did not have a choice in whether or not to preach. His only choice was whether or not to obey the will of God. If he did not preach, he would experience the judgment of God for being disobedient.

Ver. 17: If Paul merely preached the gospel because he had been called to do so, it would be no more than a servant carrying out the duties entrusted to him by his master. No one could really know if his heart was in it or if he just did it because he had no choice. But if he did it willingly, manifested by his going beyond the call of duty and preaching without charge, he would receive a reward.

Ver. 18: Paul seems to indicate in this verse what his reward would be. It would not be heaven, even though he would be rewarded with that if he remained faithful to Christ, but rather the self-gratification and the inner joy of knowing that he acted voluntarily, doing more than God expected. For Paul, preaching the gospel was in the first mile realm, but preaching the gospel without charge was going the second mile.

True Fulfillment Is in The Second Mile

Jesus talked about an abundant life in John 10:10. Obviously, that abundant life will be experienced when we are finally in heaven after a while. However, we can enjoy at least some of what Jesus talked about while we are on earth. It is experienced in the second mile realm. When we go the second mile, we experience “the peace of God that passeth all understanding.” The “unsearchable riches of Christ” are also found there. Furthermore, it is in the second mile realm that we can “rejoice with joy unspeakable.” Yes, these things will be experienced ultimately in heaven, but there is peace, joy and spiritual riches in Christ right now for those who are willing to give all to Christ. It is sad to see disappointed Christians who have concluded that Christianity is not what they expected, and that God has somehow let them down. God does not let us down, we let Him down. God will bless us profusely if we will stay in position to be blessed. If we will be willing to give our all to God, He will give us back much more, not only in this life, but also in the life which is to come. Where is it that we show we are willing to give our all to God? In the second mile. This does not mean that the second mile realm is all roses, for the difficulties of life are no respecter of persons. But, those giving their lives totally to God, even going beyond what God expects, will learn to be content in whatever state they find themselves (Philippians 4:11).

The list of things we can accomplish in the second mile realm is endless, and it is there that we truly discover what serving God is really all about. Let us walk the second mile together.