Encouragement

To Sit To Your Right Or To Your Left?

by Maria Franco
07/27/24
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Blessings come in various forms and different packaging.
Blessings need not be only material blessings but it can be spiritual blessings as well. Blessings in the form of protection, healing, long life, aversion of any harm or danger and an inexplicable happiness from within.
God himself has promised that he can bless us beyond our measures that we will not have room enough to contain all the blessings which is poured out in an abundant harvest. And God is always true to his word!

Similarly, suffering can be joyful if we feel that we were found worthy to suffer for the Lord. The verse in John 11:4 relates a definite hope for those suffering in Christ as proclaimed by Jesus and a promise that we can claim in times of illness; “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”

In order to gain blessings we need to give up a lot in this world for the Lord.
We look at the life of St. James the brother of St. John and son of Zebedee who left their father and everything to follow Jesus. We celebrate the feast of St. James on 25th July.  He is called James the Greater and also the Son of Thunder for his fiery evangelical zeal and extreme reactions. This nickname was given to him by Jesus himself. He was also one of the chief apostles along with Peter and John to accompany Jesus on significant occasions like at the Transfiguration of our Lord on Mount Tabor and was also present in the Garden of Gethsemane when he slept along with the other two apostles instead of keeping awake with the Lord in his agony.

His mother had a special request from the Lord that both her sons should sit on the right and the left of Jesus when he came into his Kingdom.
But Jesus replied to her that she did not know what she was asking and if her sons were prepared to drink from the cup of suffering that he was about to drink from. Jesus further continues that though they will drink from the cup of suffering, thus foretelling the martyrdom of James, it was up to the Father to decide who would sit on the right and left of Jesus in his heavenly kingdom.

Today we too may be asking the impossible from the Lord as the mother of James did. Of course, he is the Lord of the impossible and can grant our requests instantly. But Jesus is holding his hand out to us with the same question.
Are we prepared to drink from his cup of suffering? Are we ready to take on the challenges that come our way? Are we ready to do something for the mission of his Gospel whilst we are on earth? Or do we want easy answers, quick healings and solutions to our problems and needs?
To be a disciple of Jesus is not an easy task or a smooth road. To follow him, we have to leave the world behind, put our hearts to the plough of his work and keep moving forward thus bringing glory to God through our works.

St. James was the first apostle to be martyred. He was killed by a sword.
How far are we willing to go for the Lord? To put our own interests and desires last, to be an apostle for Jesus not to claim name or fame for us but in true dedication and sincerity to give our all for Christ.

May the Word of God bring peace and consolation to our hearts when we face suffering, trials or even persecution. Victory will always be ours for we have the Winner of the entire human race standing alongside us. Then it does not matter if we are sitting to the right or the left of Jesus as long as we have him with us forever.

Maria Franco