Chapter 12: He Had No Rights

He had no rights:

No right to a soft bed, and a well-laid table;

No right to a home of His own, a place where His own
pleasure might be sought;

No right to choose pleasant, congenial companions, those who
could understand Him and sympathize with Him;

No right to shrink away from filth and sin, to pull His
garments closer around Him and turn aside to walk in cleaner
paths;

No right to be understood and appreciated; no, not by those
upon whom He had poured out a double portion of His love;

No right even never to be forsaken by His Father, the One
who meant more than all to Him.

His only right was silently to endure shame, spitting, blows; to take His place as a sinner at the dock; to bear my sins in anguish on the cross.

He had no rights. And I?

A right to the "comforts" of life? No, but a right to the
love of God for my pillow.

A right to physical safety? No, but a right to the security
of being in His will.

A right to love and sympathy from those around me? No, but a
right to the friendship of the One who understands me better
than I do myself.

A right to be a leader among men? No, but the right to be
led by the One to whom I have given my all, led as is a
little child, with its hand in the hand of its father.

A right to a home, and dear ones? No, not necessarily; but a
right to dwell in the heart of God.

A right to myself? No, but, oh, _I have a right to Christ_.

All that He takes I will give;
All that He gives will I take;
He, my only right!
He, the one right before which all other rights
fade into nothingness.
I have full right to Him;
Oh, may He have full right to me!

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 1: This word is not used in any disparaging sense, but simply meaning "originating in a given place."]

[Footnote 2: Colloquial Chinese term for a bride.]

[Footnote 3: Bound small in childhood.]

[Footnote 4: Adapted from _The Lord Stood by Me_ (Philadelphia: China Inland Mission, n.d.), pp. 67-75 (out of print).]

[Footnote 5: Cf. ch. 8.]

[Footnote 6: General Director of the China Inland Mission at that time.]

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TRANSCRIBER'S NOTES

Title Page: The title and author have been changed from lower case to
title case.

Page 45: Typo corrected: vistior to visitor.

Page 105: Typo corrected: gardner to gardener.

Page 119: Typo corrected: happend to happened.