Bible Verse of the Day Tuesday July 18th, 2023

John 18: 25-26 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself. So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you? One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” Again, Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.

Earlier, Peter had looped off the ear of one of the prison guards to defend Jesus. In this incident, we find him warming his hands by the High Priest's fire, which is about to hand Jesus over to the Romans, which all knew would be an inevitable crucifixion. Peter had already denied knowing Jesus or being a part of His followers, and this third time he could not go back on what he had already claimed. The claim concerning not knowing Jesus was a defensive move by Peter, knowing if he stood by Jesus, he could have very well received the same punishment as our Savior.

The four gospels all record the denial of Jesus by Peter. All Christians will fail Jesus at certain times in their life. However, neglecting, denying, or attempting to excuse our failure will lead to more significant problems. We might say that everyone may fail sometimes, and it is no big deal. Some might say, "Are you joshing me? I never fail." We can distort it by claiming that it's society's fault." However, another option which is the best option; we can deal with our failure and ask God to help us walk in His light. I read a story lately about a time when Frederick the Great visited a large prison. As he talked with the prisoners, everyone, with one exception, claimed they were innocent. One lone prisoner admitted his guilt and said he deserved to be in prison. When the Emperor heard this, he ordered the warden to release him before he corrupted all these innocent men in the prison.

Confession of our sins is not just admitting to God that we are guilty because God already knows that. The important thing for us to do is agree that we have done wrong and ask God to forgive us. God does not heal what we are unwilling to reveal. That day Peter stood beside two separate fires. First was the fire of defiance, then he was warmed by the fire of discovery. Humans created the first fire Peter stood before; Christ Jesus lighted the last fire he stood before. Initially, Peter denied knowing who Jesus was and standing before the second fire, he acknowledged Jesus as the Son of God, the world's Savior. In the interim between these two symbolic fires, we find two life-altering occurrences, Peter's tears of sorrow and repentance and Jesus' unconditional love and forgiveness. When our tears of regret and repentance encounter the Cross of Calvary, our guilt diminishes, and our joy increases.