Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head. The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed.
John 20:1-8
Do you think sometimes that we are Christians for the wrong reasons? you're thinking: Rick, what in the world are you talking about?
I think, many times, we do the right thing for all the wrong reasons. Why do we pray before we eat? Why do we go to church? Why do we do the things we do in our Christian life?
Honestly, I think sometimes we just do it because it either makes us look good, or because everyone else is doing it. I think sometimes we go to church, listen for an hour, and leave getting nothing from it. It's just routine. Is that how God wants us to live our lives? Do we get "points" for attending church or doing good things? Is that how it works? Is that the point of it all?
I really don't think so. In this story, I think John almost lost site of what they were doing. Peter was running to the tomb because he was genuinely concerned that something went wrong with Jesus' body. John was physically doing the same thing, running to the tomb. But it seems like he was so distracted with trying to beat Peter to the tomb that he lost site of why they were running at all. So much that, when he got to the tomb, he didn't even go inside....he seemed excited that he beat Peter in the race.
Do you think sometimes we live our Christian life that way? Do we get all puffed up thinking: look at me, i went to church every Sunday this month, and Bill only went once. I gave 5 times as much as Bill too!!
How do we think God looks at that? You think God us up there just clapping for us for doing better than Bob? No way, right?
Today, Let's be more like Peter. Let's purpose to keep our focus on what God has planned for our life, and don't get distracted by comparing how "good of a Christian" we are with the people around us.
