guilt vs self reflection

Today's reading from the One Year Bible is from Mark 14:1-21. Jesus talks about His betrayal. And it brings up an important distinction between guilt and self reflection.

When Jesus tells His disciples that one of them is going to betray Him, one of them KNEW that he was the one who was going to do it. He already had it planned. And so even though he might have acted like he didn't know and asked "Is it me?" he knew it was him. He was being duplicitous.

But the other disciples didn't just automatically assume that they were innocent. They honestly asked Jesus, and themselves, if they were the one who was going to do it. And I think this kind of self reflection is good. To realize that we're not above the sins of the world. To honestly ask God, and ourselves, if we're capable of doing a thing that will shame us. And that's the healthiest thing we can do with that possibility. To bring it to God and say, "Is it me, Lord?" If it is, then we can trust Him to lovingly bring us back to Him. To ask us, "Do you love Me?" and when we confess that love, to tell us, "Feed my sheep."

God, thanks for teaching us the difference between guilt and self reflection. Please keep us from sin.