The Epistle 1 John, we are reading these days is very prolific in saying sin identifies one who does not belong to God. So what is Sin? That which took us away, and keeps us away from God. Today reading of One John Identifies God as Being All Right (Correct), and Righteous. So His children are also Righteous, because they embody their Father. The opposite of Righteous is Self-Righteousness. If Righteousness is the result of having a relationship with God, the Self-Righteousness is to choose not to have a relationship with God. And therefore Sin is to deny God what is His; i.e. we. We reject His Fatherhood of us.

But when we choose our own counsel/understanding, over God and His Wisdom, we actually tie a cloth around our heads. We become blind to reality, and create stumbling blocks for ourselves, which drives us away from God.

John the Baptist was a righteous man (meaning he was is a relationship with God), and therefore He could hear Him and understand His action in everyday life. He was humble and seeked to glorify God in all ways. First he avoided taking credit for his ministry of being the Messiah’s herald, nor identified with the great Prophet Elijah. And today in all humility he points to Jesus, and looses two of his disciples to Jesus. But in this He is glad – because He says gladly, He and what ever is his should cease, and everything increase to glorify God and His Messiah.

The great men and women of Jesus, i.e. the Saints, are lights, burning bright, reducing attention from themselves, and lighting our path to Jesus. Let us not get side tracked from this, and never shift our gaze from Jesus, lest even as we walk on the waters with Jesus, we should slip and shift our gaze and start drowning….