READ: MARK 14:27-31, 66-72

A rooster crowed at the moment of the apostle Peter’s biggest failure.

Let’s back up a few hours before that awful choice. On the night of Jesus’s betrayal, He warned His disciples that they would scatter when He was taken from them.

That’s when Peter spoke up: no matter what the others would do, he would not deny Jesus! But Jesus had sad news for Peter. That very night, he would deny Jesus three times before the rooster crowed.

Sure enough, as we read in today’s Bible passage, Peter denied knowing Jesus. But, upon hearing the rooster crow and realizing what he had done, Peter broke down and wept. Peter loved Jesus and wanted to be faithful—yet he abandoned and denied Jesus in His darkest hour.

Have you had any rooster crow moments? Times when you were sure you would follow what God’s Word said? Times when a quick decision had to be made, and you made the wrong one? Times when you chose sin over Jesus? Then, when you realized what you had done, you stopped and wept. You mourned a choice that couldn’t be unmade. The rooster was crowing in the background.

But here’s the good news. Jesus loves us and knows our struggles against sin. He has not left us alone. When we trust Him as our Savior and Lord, He wraps us in His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). In God’s eyes, it’s like we’ve never done anything wrong. And God has given us His Word and His Spirit to teach us the way and empower us as we learn to walk in it.

When we are tempted to sin, we can listen to the Holy Spirit, rejecting sin and remembering who we are in Christ (Titus 2:11-14). And when we do sin, we can run to Jesus, knowing that we are securely held in His love and forgiveness— even in our rooster crow moments (Romans 8:33-39; Hebrews 4:14-16; 1 John 1:9–2:1). • Deborah del Villar

• Read John 21:15-19. After Peter failed, was Jesus done with him?

• Read 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Hebrews 4:14-16. When we sin or are tempted to sin, why can we always run to Jesus?

My little children, I am writing you these things so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ the righteous one. 1 John 2:1 (CSB)