Thursday, February 9, 2023

When The Rooster Crowed

"Then he began to curse and swear, "I do not know this Man of whom you speak!"
A second time the rooster crowed.  Then Peter called to mind the word that Jesus had said to him, "Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times."  And when he thought about it, he wept."
Mark 14:71-72 (NKJV)

For most people, when they do something wrong, whether it is intentional, or even unintentional, it is when they recognize what is wrong that they regret what they did and wish they had not done it.  But the thing is, while everyone makes mistakes and does things wrong, the real difference is what people do next.  To do something wrong and regret it is one thing, but to turn away from that wrong and not just stay in the place of regret is another thing all together.

Peter was someone who walked with Jesus, heard Jesus teach, saw the miracles and healings that were done through Jesus, and Peter still denied Jesus.  We can sit back and read about Peter's denial and say we would never do such a thing, but the truth is that we have all done things we should not have done.  This is when we need to understand that God still loves us, although He does not approve of what we have done, but God wants us to turn from our mistakes and come back into right fellowship with Him.

Just like when Peter heard the rooster crow, where he realized and regretted his mistake, we too will find ourselves in situations where we realize a mistake was made and we feel terrible about it.  In the same way that the angel at the tomb specifically mentioned that Peter needed to be where Jesus would be, we need to realize that God is calling us to return to the relationship we once had with Him.  Next time you make a mistake, don't just regret it and condemn yourself, turn from the problem and realize that God's love never changes, and the best place for us to be is in a close relationship with Him.

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