“A wise man’s heart directs him toward the right, but the foolish man’s heart directs him toward the left.” Ecclesiastes 10:2 NASB
What is it about being on the right side? It is mentioned too many times in God’s word to lack special meaning. We may feel it is better to be in the right, but just maybe the Lord wants us to be on the right.
It is said that being at the right side is to be at a special place of honor. We know Jesus sits at the right hand of God, so clearly this is a place that’s of the highest honor.
Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Matthew 26:64 NIV
We feel better being in the right. As disputes arise, and as the world divides, the enemy most assuredly tries to divide and isolate all of us. He leads us into areas of uncertainty, and forces us to pick sides. This leads to desire to be in the right.
The Lord wants our focus to be on His right!
It is written:
A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. Proverbs 19:11 NIV
This is how our Lord looks at us, during these times of divide. He guides us to the right.
The psalmist says:
“If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.” Psalms 139:9-10 NIV
There is a heavy emphasis in the Word, on being at the right hand, on the right side, but not being in the right.
After the resurrection, the apostles chose to go out to sea to catch fish, as opposed to the streets to be fishers of men. Our resurrected Lord, standing on the shores of Galilee, had this message for them.
Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples, by the Sea of Galilee. It happened this way: Simon Peter, Thomas (also known as Didymus), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?” “No,” they answered. He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish. John 21:1-6 NIV
Was Jesus simply telling them to cast to the right versus the left? Or was he telling them something much deeper? Could he have been telling them to be on His right, about His business, and be rewarded at that special place of honor?
So we must strive daily to be on the right side of the Lord. Our goal must be to win souls, not arguments.
I submit, forget being right, and live to be on His right!
Remember to love one another, as He loves us.
Barnabas
Special thanks to Barnabas for this guest submission.