Going the 2nd Mile in the Wrong Direction

My wife and I had just enjoyed a wonderful night of worship with some of the dearest people in our lives. The miles spent to the church out of town was well worth the time. As we all got back in the car for the ride home, our spirits were energized but our bodies were depleted.

My wife wanted to drive home, and I was happy to oblige because I felt like sleeping. As she engaged in conversation with our dear Tammy riding shotgun, I laid out in the backseat and dozed off. At some point, I opened my eyes and had this weird sensation that we should have reached our exit by that point. Upon my asking of the question, they realized that we had missed the exit miles back and it would be a while before we could turn around. A simple distraction led us in the wrong direction.

We had gone the 2nd mile, but we had taken it in the wrong direction. For many of us in life trying to go all in and all out, we get frustrated because we lose time and effort in wasted directions. If you have ever felt like you are wasting opportunities, it’s time to go the 2nd mile in prioritizing your purposes.

How do we ensure that we go the 2nd mile in the right direction?

Identify Your Primary Purposes

  1. The Spirit gifts every believer for the glory of God and for the good of others (1 Cor. 12:4-7, 11).
  2. We are saved for good works that God has prepared for us (Eph. 2:10).
  3. Identify what your primary purposes are and refuse to allow anything to get in your way of accomplishing them.

Address Your Secondary Issues

  1. Don’t miss out on the great opportunities for which you were primarily called because you neglect the secondary issues for which you are still responsible.
  2. Being zealous for good works means caring for all different types of good works (Titus 2:14).
  3. The early church leaders made sure they addressed the secondary issues so they could continue to prioritize the primary purposes (Acts 6:1-7).

Eliminate Your Tertiary Distractions

  1. You only have enough time to do God’s will (Acts 20:24).
  2. Our lives are fleeting so don’t waste them on meaningless pursuits (Ps. 39:4).
  3. Acknowledge what your greatest time-wasters are and relentlessly combat them.

GET THE 2ND MILE ON YOUR FAVORITE APP

You can listen to the 2nd Mile Podcast here or download it on your favorite app below.  Some of the main points are transcribed for you below as well.