Walk two

  There are certain Bible verses we like to quote. We all love John 3:16, and with good reason. Another one that is very popular today and more loved than John 3:16 is "judge not". But then there are other verses that we don't tend to quote and forget about. Here are a couple of examples:

Matthew 5: 38-42 38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’[f] 39 But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also. 40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also. 41 And whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. 42 Give to him who asks you, and from him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

And similarly worded in Luke 6: 27-31 27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

  How often do we think on these verses and apply them to our lives? Most likely the majority of us rarely or never do.

   I can honestly say no one has ever asked me for my coat, or any of my clothes for that matter. Neither has anyone ever asked me to walk a mile with them. I'm not even sure under what circumstances the latter would occur. "Mark, could you walk a mile with me?" "Uh, how about I walk two with you instead....."

 Though this seems mostly geared for our enemies, I am going a different direction that I believe also fits here:

  What if people ask us for other things though. What if they ask us for our time? Wouldn't this Biblical principle apply to that scenario also?

  I had the house to myself for a couple of hours Wednesday evening. Since I had a couple of book reviews I needed to do, I decided to knock them out. Just as I was finishing the last one, I got a message from a friend:

Him: hey Mark!
how are you?

Me: hey bro, good here, How are you?

Him: doing pretty good!

you busy?

Me: nope, was just finishing a book review... it's done 🙂

Him: ok

you have time for a phone call?

if not don't worry about it...

  My friend, who lives several states away, is married with a family. He also deals with the same issue I do.......same-sex attraction. He was away from home for a week, and staying in a motel..... and feeling tempted. I have read that when men spend time in a motel, they are often tempted sexually.... and my friend was. He did the smart thing and reached out. I am sure he could have found someone better than I, but hey, he reached out. :)

  We chatted for about 30-35 minutes, and he thanked me saying I had helped and encouraged him. The feeling was mutual. I promised to pray for him, and hung up. 

 Now I could have done something else. I could have told him I was going to alphabetize my Christmas CDs...... I do have enough to do that, and I had actually done that last weekend. I could have had a book I was going to read, a movie I was going to watch..... but I knew he was alone in a motel room and most likely needed to talk..... plus, he's a cool guy. We chat often on messenger and occasionally on the phone.

  We are too busy. It doesn't take much to encourage someone and be a friend. An email, card, gift card, taking someone out for coffee or lunch, a phone call, or just listen.. but most of us don't have the time, or we don't want to take the time.

 In this day of modern technology and time saving devices, we seem to have less time than ever. We have hurting and lonely people all around us, and we never have time - or sometimes don't want to take the time - to help and encourage someone.

 Someone I follow on Twitter shared this today, and it was another nudge for me to do this blog post:

  And isn't that true?  There are tons of self-help books, but there aren't that many books on helping others....and most of us wouldn't be too interested in that kind of book anyway.

  A lot of us are truly too busy to do much, but we can all do something. There are things that would only take a few minutes, and could make a difference in someone's day, or even in their life. And if we appear too busy and uninterested, we might be the last person someone might consider asking for help if they need it.

 Be there for others, even in small ways, and do more than they ask if they actually ask.

Walk Two

Verse 1

An old friend or a stranger stops you in the street 

Or asked just that you'd  listen to his cares

Jesus said “when you've done it for the least, you've done it for me”

Or could it be an angel unaware?

Chorus:

So if he asks you to walk a mile with him, walk two

If he asks you to lend an ear to him, listen the whole night through

And if he says “please, would you pray?”

Then call his name, night and day

And if he asks you to walk a mile, walk two, walk two

Verse 2

Jesus asked you to intercede for Him at the midnight hour

Or asked just that you'd listen to His voice

It's not always easy to obey or make the sacrifice

And count it an honor that you'd be His choice

Chorus:

So if he asks you to walk a mile with him, walk two

If he asks you to lend an ear to him, listen the whole night through

And if he says “please, would you pray?”

Then call his name, night and day

And if he asks you to walk a mile, walk two, walk two