Conditioned Reflex = Grace!

I was reading an article the other day about the Russian physician and psychologist, Ivan Pavlov. It seems he won a Nobel Prize for his experiments regarding “conditioned reflex” with some dogs. He apparently rang a bell at feeding time for the dogs to see if they would salivate whenever they heard a bell ring just as they salivate when you show them food. I don’t know… Google it. I don’t like Science and I don’t like dogs, so it kinda went over my head.

However, he then related it to Peter and I began to get the idea. You see, Peter swore to defend Jesus at all costs, even his own death. But Jesus told him that, in fact, Peter would deny Jesus three times before the cock crowed.

Apparently, in the trauma of the moment, Peter forgot all about it; until he had indeed denied Jesus for the third time and he heard that rooster crow. Luke tells us that their eyes met at that moment. And Peter went out and wept….bitterly. (Luke 22:62)

“conditioned reflex - an acquired response that is conditional on the occurrence of a stimulus” (I Googled it…)

Can you imagine what Peter felt, the guilt he must have experienced every morning when he heard a rooster crow? The rooster was the stimulus… just like that ringing bell for the dogs.

Satan loves to remind us of our failures. But Jesus reconditions us… by His grace.

Remember after Jesus’ resurrection when Peter decides to go fishing? (John 21:1-19) The others go along with him and who should show up but Jesus. As they are sitting around the fire eating fish Jesus had prepared for them, He takes Peter aside and asks him, “Do you love me?” Of course, Peter emphatically claims that he does. I can just imagine his brokenness as he remembers his earlier denials. Somehow he must reassure Jesus that He does truly love Him. Jesus asks him this question three times… the same number of times Peter denied Him. Then He simply says, “Follow me.” He extended grace to Peter and gave him a new “stimulus”.

John 21:4 says this was early in the morning…I wonder if they heard a rooster crow?

Grace…

When you hear the rooster crow, do you remember your failures?

Or do you remember His grace?

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”

Romans 16:24 (KJV)

‘Lena Ehlert

©Whispers in Worship