The Extraordinary Extra Mile

Scripture Passage
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name this is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Philippians 2: 5-11

Reflection

I am exhausted. I am spent and worn out and wonder if I have anything left to give. This summer was a long process of leaving behind my life in DC and starting a new chapter in a new place. The start of grad school has brought a whole wonderfully new community into my daily life. As one of the few first-year students with a car and one of only a small contingent of Americans, I’ve spent a lot of time just helping my classmates settle in to life here. My daily existence has been inundated with incredible new people. We study together, we workout together, we go to networking events and happy hours and conferences together. It’s truly amazing.

But to be perfectly honest, it’s also incredibly hard to add so many new people to your life all at once while still trying to juggle relationships with family, friends, and colleagues that aren’t in my new city, balance commitments like that to PEER Servants, and somehow, somewhere in this process, study well and prepare to advance my career. I wonder if it’s ok to perhaps be more selective in whom I offer a ride to, or to just take a day or two to myself and not spend time with everyone else.

The concept of service is nothing new to the Christian dialogue. Our title, PEER Servants, fully embraces this component of the Christian life. Service is often how we determine our activities, and perhaps their validity in our schedules. We serve those we feel most burdened for, whether orphans or the elderly, trafficking victims or the homeless. We give our time and our energy to the causes we are most passionate about.

But too often we believe we are only called to serve as it fits within our boundaries of comfort. I’ve heard the advice to take time for yourself, to protect your health, and do what you need to do (and yes, there’s something to caring for the health that God has granted you). But I have to wonder if we’re really interpreting this in line with the Bible, or if we are using that as a justification to only go the first mile.

In church today, the pastor dug into the above-mentioned passage in Philippians. And what the Spirit convicted me of was that the only valid measure of our service is that of Christ’s service for us. Christ is the ultimate example of servitude.

Am I exhausted? Absolutely.

But have I given yet the equivalent of Christ’s sacrifice for me? Not nearly. I am to be a living sacrifice, as Christ was our ultimate sacrifice.

And have I yet emptied myself of the power that is available to me through the Spirit? By the grace of God, there is ample strength for the second mile. And if my eyes and heart are fixed on the sacrifice that Christ has made for me, and the glory of his reign, I will press on with joy and strength knowing that in this stage too, he will be glorified.

Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Question to Consider
Am I serving those in my sphere to the extent that Christ served me? Am I viewing the opportunities in my life as my “reasonable worship” (Rom. 12:1)?

Action Step for the Week

Are you considering stopping at the first mile, because the second one seems to be too much? Or are you walking that second mile and growing weary and tired? Be encouraged by reading and reflecting on Romans 12:1-2 and Philippians 2:1-11. Pray that God would give you a fresh glimpse of his great love for you. Pray for his strength and endurance to guide you through the second mile.

Is the Kingdom of Heaven Here Yet?

Scripture Passage

"If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles."  Matthew 5:41 (NIV)

Reflection

I often ask myself whether I am asking Jesus to operate within my life rules or whether I am willing to operate within His.  I believe that most of my life has been the former.  "Thank you, Jesus, for this free gift of salvation, but now let me get on with my life."

I have come to appreciate that Jesus had a greater concern than just extending my life from earth to heaven - He wanted to extend the kingdom of heaven to earth.  What does the kingdom of heaven on earth look like?  Are we even getting close?  closer?

The latter verses of Matthew 5 depict a much different reality than most Christians are living out.  As Christians insist on their own rights, sue others over insignificant issues, divorce a spouse because they don't feel it anymore, etc., it's clear that most of us are insisting that Jesus operate within our life rules.  No wonder we see so little of the kingdom of heaven on earth.

The kingdom of heaven goes beyond what any of us can fully imagine or comprehend, but from Jesus' simple teaching, we know it to be a place wherein those experiencing it will not resist an evil person but rather turn the other cheek, add our coat to the one who sues us for our shirt, go a second mile with the person who forces us to go one, love our enemies, and pray for those who persecute us.  By behaving in this way, we may appear like children of our Father in heaven, and perhaps be used of God to extend such a kingdom to others.

One way or the other, the way we live our lives impacts those around us.  Does our behavior lead those around us to conclude that we are experiencing this radically different kingdom of heaven on earth?  If so, perhaps they will be drawn to such a kingdom, and we will see Jesus' vision of the kingdom on earth as it is in heaven becoming a greater reality.

Question to Consider

Are you insisting that Jesus operate within your life rules, or are you really willing to operate within His?

Action Step for the Week

Identify one practical aspect of the kingdom of heaven on earth and then ask God to allow you to make that a reality in your own life.

It’s not about me

Scripture Passage

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Matthew 5 v 44a

Reflection

I can safely assume that the majority of the people involved with PEER Servants hold justice as a matter close to their hearts. At its core, the organization is fundamentally about righting the wrongs perpetrated against the materially poor in the world. So Jesus’ exhortation to go two miles with anyone who forces you to go one mile is, at first glance, an act of condoning injustice. Does Jesus condone injustice? To be sure, the Bible says Jesus is the champion of the oppressed. Just at the beginning of the Sermon on the Mount he starts with words of encouragement for the oppressed; “blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted” Matthew 5 v 4, and “blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven” Matthew 5 v 10. So, what’s going on in the last few verses of this passage?

My own journey of faith has taught me over and over that it’s not about me. God loves and cares for me, true, but ultimately it’s not about me. Many heroes of the faith never lived to see the fruit of the walk of faith. Hebrews 11, aptly titled “Faith in Action” in the NIV, recounts the great acts of faith by biblical heroes. The passage concludes in verse 39 and 40 by saying, “These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised, since God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect”. I believe in the same way God is calling us to walk the extra mile by faith. God works in the lives of those he loves, transforming them more and more into Christlikeness. But God also works through those he loves to call and transform the world into Christlikeness.

I don’t know what your circumstances are, or who is forcing you to go one mile. But Jesus says go with them two miles. Yes, it’s unjust. He knows that, and he promises comfort and the riches of the Kingdom of Heaven as a reward. He asks you to go two miles because he loves you and is transforming you. But also, he is working through you to call your oppressor to him, and transform them too. He’s calling us to love our oppressors, and pray for them. We cannot do this out of our own strength; Hebrews 11 reminds us that the Biblical heroes did it by faith.

Question to Consider

Are you willing to walk the extra mile of persecution in order to let God work in you and your oppressors?

Action Step for the Week

Pray for your oppressor every day this week. Seek God’s counsel about how you can be praying for them. Surrender your unjust situation to God; if he so wishes, vengeance is His, Romans 12 v 19. Ask God to work in you, to make you more Christlike, and ask God to work through you, to reach the world for His glory.

Selfless Love for All

Key Scripture Passage
"If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles." Matthew 5:41 NIV

Reflection
Conventional wisdom teaches to invest in what provides a return. We may give our time and money to others, but we enjoy the "good feelings" we get when our generosity is appreciated, or maybe we give with the hope of being admired by others. Why spend your own precious money and time when there is absolutely nothing to show for it? Or maybe for a more selfless person the thought process would be "would they appreciate my sacrifice?" As Christians we know that Jesus paid an agonizing price for all, though many do not recognize that sacrifice.

Matthew 5 primarily focuses on being generous with enemies. Which, from the standpoint of conventional wisdom, would be foolish. We are told to not resist an evil person, and in the examples given enemies are already taking something when we are asked to walk the extra mile or give away our cloak or turn to them the other cheek. Outside the context of this verse, in a real life situation, most Christians would say it is foolish to give more to an evil person who is already taking from you. If you are robbed at gunpoint and they ask for your wallet, do you offer them the keys to your car as well?

This is a challenging exhortation. At the core we are called to love our enemies. Every human on Earth is a creation of God and the worst sinners can become God's greatest advocates. Saul in Acts 8, is a great persecutor of the Church, but he becomes a disciple of Jesus and one of the Bibles greatest evangelists! Part of Saul's transformation to Paul involved God sending a man named Ananias to go heal Saul. He of course had second thoughts as Saul was a well known persecutor. God was sending Ananias to place hands on and heal a great enemy. No matter how evil the sinner, it should not preclude them from receiving Gods love through us. How powerful a message it is to give more to your enemies than they want to steal from you.

In the end, the Kingdom of Heaven is like the man who sold all his possessions to buy a precious pearl in Matthew 13:45, and walking an extra mile with someone to further the Kingdom of Heaven and exemplify God's love does not seem so steep a price.

Questions to Consider
Are you willing to love your enemies or at least love the unlikable people in your life?

Action Step for the Week
Since we hopefully will have few opportunities to go the extra mile with someone who is forcing us to, try to find ways to go the extra mile with people in your life especially the ones you initially would rather not walk the first mile with.

Is God's Mercy Dangerous?

The last of three posts on "Go now and leave your life of sin".

Key Scripture Passage
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." John 8:11 NIV

Reflection
God's mercy can be dangerous!

Now how in the world could something so amazing as God's mercy ever be dangerous?

The danger lies in our choosing to act in whatever way we wish and to think that we are innocent of any wrongdoing just because God shows us mercy.  Soon we allow our culture to shape what we consider right and wrong rather than God's Word.  We dismiss greed, lust, and more as perfectly normal because it's the way we see others, even those in the church, living.

And we love this passage from John 8.  Certainly if Jesus could show mercy to a woman caught in adultery, we must be innocent of any wrong doing.

Or are we?  A closer look at this John 8 passage shows that Jesus offered the woman a pardon, not an acquittal.  He called her behavior "sin"; He didn't declare her innocent.  There's nothing close to a "You're OK, I'm OK." perspective from Jesus here.  To the contrary - Jesus tells her to change her lifestyle.  The one person who was without sin has the moral authority to encourage her to leave her life of sin.

And Jesus would say the same words to us today.  If we're really going to go and extend the kingdom, we have to be ones who respond to God's dangerous mercy not with presumptuous lives, but humble, obedient lives that appreciate offering up ourselves as living sacrifices is a very reasonable act of worship to this Mercy Giver.

Questions to Consider
Have you handled God's grace dangerously?  Given your behavior, do you consider yourself innocent of any wrongdoing, or guilty and in need of a pardon?

Action Step for the Week
Identify those sins you have been dismissing as small and inconsequential since everyone else does them.  Ask the Holy Spirit to give you the strength to leave such a life of sin.

Commission or Omission?

The second of three posts on "Go now and leave your life of sin".

Key Scripture Passage
For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. These, then, are the things you should teach.  Titus 2: 11-15a NIV

Reflection
I remember as a teenager hearing a preacher say, “if you don’t give your life to Christ after hearing the gospel message over and over, your punishment in hell will be even worse.”   That scared me enough to get me out of my seat and head down the aisle to the altar to pray for Jesus to save me.  The funny thing is that after that prayer, I waited for my life to change and nothing seemed to happen. I kept falling into the same old sins.  Why was I unable to “go and leave my life of sin?”  I tried my best to stop sinning, but this salvation thing just didn’t seem to be working for me.  Nevertheless, I kept going to church and listening and gradually the Holy Spirit began revealing God’s truth to me, convicting me of my sin and I made an amazing discovery – Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sin, and the Holy Spirit was there to give me power to stop doing the ridiculous and destructive things that the devil had convinced me were good.  As I took my baby steps towards Jesus, I discovered that following Him was delightful.  Saying “no” to sin and “yes” to Jesus was an amazing adventure.

In those early days of following Christ, the sins I was learning to say “no” to were the ones that theologians call “sins of commission” (the things we do that we shouldn’t).  But now, the struggle is oftentimes with the “sins of omission” (the things that we should do but don’t).  When I look at the list of the “go” passages that we are studying this year, my sins of omission are glaring . . .  go and make disciples, go back and report what you hear and see, when you pray, go into your room, go with him two miles.  And just like when I was a young believer, I realize that I need the Holy Spirit to show me God’s truth, to convict me of my failure and to give me joy in obedience and eagerness to be on the adventure with Him.  Failing to obey Jesus’ most important instructions for extending His kingdom to earth is the life of sin that I must leave behind.

Questions to Consider
What are the sins in your life that you are ignoring? Sins of commission? Sins of omission?

Action Step for the Week
Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to the sins He wants to help you overcome.  Write them down in your journal.  Confess and ask for His forgiveness and His power.  Take steps today to follow Jesus in obedience in each of the areas He shows you.

Leave Your Baggage - Go Take a Hike!

The first of three posts on "Go now and leave your life of sin".

Key Scripture Passage
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin." John 8:11 NIV

Reflection
Jesus gave the woman caught in adultery in John chapter 8 an extra ordinary assurance: 'neither do I condemn you'.  This assurance gives us a way forward to leave the past baggage, all of it, at the cross, accept this forgiveness, and march onwards.

We are called to 'leave our life of sin'.  Before such a transformational change can happen, we have to grasp the enormity of His love and His grace.  Philip Yancey puts this idea beautifully: “Grace teaches us that God loves because of who God is, not because of who we are.”  So the weight of the past baggage is irrelevant, all that matters is to internalize the fact that 'He still loves me'.

It is time to act, to identify the things that need to go first.  I carefully carve them out, one by one, and stuff them in a leave-behind bag.  Now I am ready to travel light, leaving all this baggage behind.  It is not going to be easy in the beginning, since the temptations will still be around.  Identifying my stumbling blocks along the trail will help me to stay clear of them. 

Knowing God's Word will be my essential navigation tool, prayer will be my hydration pack, and counting my many blessings will be my milestones.  I will use fellowship and friendship from other Christ followers as my nourishing support system, which like a good hiking boot, will take me a long way forward.  After the first few miles, I will start conversations, report what I see, share burdens, and cheer on and thus invest in other hikers along the trail.

Questions to Consider
Are you carrying too heavy a load?  Are you allowing your past sins to haunt you and remain with you?

Action Step for the Week
If you are carrying too heavy a load, identify two of the heaviest stones that you need to discard.  Then go into your room, get on your knees, confess your sins to God, and drop these stones to the floor.  Feeling the warmth of His grace, you are now ready to get up and start your hike.