I am still getting a lot out of reading the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 stood out to me today, 20 Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins. 21 Do not pay attention to every word people say, or you may hear your servant cursing you. We must never sit back and compare ourselves with other people sin-for-sin. It is easy to look at the sin in someone else’s life and make ourselves look righteous because we do not have the same issues. But in the end, no one is righteous. Our righteousness comes from sanctification we can not provide for ourselves. In Solomon’s day it came from the sacrificing of animals and offerings set by the law. Our sanctification comes from Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross. Let us not forget that our efforts bring us no closer to righteousness than the oblivious acts of a fool who does not know Christ. Let us not take on the role of Christ in our lives by thinking we are good enough or that our efforts bring us closer to God; because they do not. Relationship is the only thing that brings us closer to God, nothing else. And distance from God comes from a lack of relationship with Him, not our sin.