Going the Extra Mile - Your Nightly Prayer
Going the Extra Mile
Your Evening Prayer for Jan. 22, 2025
by Amanda Idleman
TONIGHT’S SCRIPTURE
“And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.” - Matthew 5:41
SOMETHING TO PONDER
Going the extra mile was something that Jesus and his followers did in a very literal way. The Roman law stated that soldiers could compel Jewish people to carry their gear for one mile along the road for them. After a mile, the gear would once again be the responsibility of the soldiers.
Jesus and his followers would often carry these items longer than the compulsory mile, making an impression on the Roman soldiers. It is recorded that in 200 AD, so many Roman soldiers had become Christians that they were nicknamed the ‘mouthpiece of God’ largely because so many of Christ’s followers had shown them such kindness on these long walks through Rome.
When we do more than the minimum of what is required of us, that’s when people start to take notice! It’s that extra effort on a project at work, coming alongside your spouse to help them with a project they started, offering grace to your kid when they don’t deserve it, showing up a few minutes early to help a friend with an event, and the list goes on! It doesn’t take much to make a big difference, and it just takes a commitment to go beyond the bare minimum in an effort to embody God’s love for the world.
Jesus goes on in the Sermon on the Mount to say doesn’t even the man far from God loves those who love him (Luke 6:32)? But it’s when we show love, grace, service, and compassion for those that don’t deserve it and that we aren’t required to love when the world begins to change. Be a world changer by making a point to go the extra mile whenever you can.
YOUR EVENING PRAYER
God, I thank you for your upside-down Kingdom. Your ways are so much better than our ways. You show compassion when we are quick to anger. You call us to love when we are ready to call it quits. You compel us to serve when the world says look out for yourself first. Give us the strength we need to live by the rules of your kingdom. Remind us that your ways are higher than our ways. Let your Spirit nudge us to go that extra mile throughout our days so we can bring light into this dark world. Amen.
THREE THINGS TO MEDITATE UPON
1. How has someone else's commitment to go the extra mile blessed or changed your life?
2. What is one way tomorrow you can go above and beyond for someone in your life?
3. Imagine how different life would be if we all “went the extra mile.” Consider how you can encourage others around you to live by this principle.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/Nadasaki
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