A love story and a standard for love based on real people and 
places.

Hi Desiree,
You wrote "For those of you who answered my King Edward 
the Eight Question 
- thanks. I just wanted a taste of what you were like.
I feel he set a standard for love, I should make so bold a sacrifice 
for a true love, although I wouldn't be a loudmouth drunk"
Desiree, here is the true Love story that inspires me.

"A Love Story, A Standard For Love"
© by R. L. Tyler on 03/15/'98
oldservant@mindspring.com,  oldservant@delphi.com, 
lovenchosen@hotmail.com
A love story and a standard for love based on real people and 
places.

A standard for love, what a thought!  The Middle Eastern King 
from the past who set the Love Standard for me was an 
awesome lover.   There he was, a mature adult looking for the 
woman who would be his bride.  One day when he was passing 
through a poverty stricken part of one of the neighboring 
kingdoms where many  of his subjects lived, he came upon an 
abandoned infant girl in the dirt, still in her birth blood, her 
umbilical cord not yet cut, and apparently the daugthter of 
slaves.   Many of his subjects had chosen to live there and in the 
process had become slaves.  Her dark skin color showed that 
she was of the class that was lowly esteemed and thought 
poorly of in that country,  just because of the color of her skin 
and the customs of her people.

He could see that she was a descendant of one of his  family's 
very old servants so he decided to commit himself to the well 
being of this child.  He commanded his attendants to make sure 
that she lived and was cared for, though the daughter of slaves, 
living among slaves.  

Years passed.   He was pleased each time he passed through her 
region and saw how well Oholah was growing and developing 
into a remarkable woman.  He was  profoundly concerned 
about her though, since she still went about naked and bare as 
was the custom of her people (like the original Aborigines, 
Amazon Indians etc.) , and was still living in slavery.  

Puberty did its magic and changed a remarkable little girl into 
an awesome and desired woman, a woman with desries. Her 
developing body and the passion it produced in her admirers 
became a problem especially because she continued to live and 
go about naked and bare, again the custom of her people.   Men 
in her area had the natural reaction to a naked and bare 
beautiful woman and she let her body be used by some because 
she though that was love.  Oholah was used and they didn't 
love her, but it was the only love she knew firsthand.  She felt it 
was better than what she had before she had such love.  From 
her ancestors she had heard stories of deliverance, promises of 
better things, compassion and cherishing.    It was all far away 
and unreal, like fantasy dreams.

When he knew that she was old enough to marry, he visited her 
area again and saw her now physically ready for marriage. 
Even though he was now older, he was still moved by 
compassion, love, passion, need and desire as he looked upon 
her and remembered his family's promises to her ancestor of 
old.    Carefully, quietly and gently he approached her and she 
recognized him as the one who had saved her life soon after she 
had been born. She had heard so much about him that seemed 
so hard to believe and then he was there approaching her. He 
spoke to her gently but powerfully and decisively and offered 
her the deliverance, the better things, the compassion and 
cherishing she had heard about.  She wanted him and all he said 
to be real. She was so amazed and awestruck by it all. It all 
seemed like a dream.  

Using his power and influence he removed her and her people 
from that region and its slavery.   He poured out his heart to 
her in solemn private and public covenants and commitments.  
Oholah was overwhelmed by it all, almost incredulous, but 
accepted all he offered and pledged herself to him in marriage.

Oholah had difficulty adjusting.  It was all so new and 
incredible to her.  There was so much to learn, so many new and 
different ways of doing things.  She was so overwhelmed and 
fearful that he couldn't bring her to his land and palace at that 
time, and had to live with  and love her in the barren and 
wilderness region between the area of her birth and his lands.  
Years later she became confident enough to come to his land 
and live with him in his palaces.  He showered her with gifts, 
feasts, trips and a whole lot of passionate celebration of her 
beauty and his desire for her.   

But she didn't adjust well to all of these new places and people.  
It was all so new and different and overwhelming.   For any 
number of reasons Ohlah found that she was not satisfied and 
content with her King and lover, though he was always 
attentive, often with her and showered her with gifts and 
attention.   It was that same aching lack of satisfaction and 
contentment that she had experienced in puberty in her first 
sexual experiences, yet she knew the King trully loved her and 
was not just using her.  She couldn't explain it but her old way-
of-life kept on pulling at her, night and day.  Tempted to 
selfishness and self indulgence, with great feelings of 
inadequacy, she believed a lie instead of the truth.  Not thinking 
clearly nor counting the cost, she began to have lovers on the 
side, breaking her covenants with her husband King.  Her heart 
took her back to the pleasures of being naked and bare with 
erotic lovers.

While with her lovers, thinking she was safe and set for a good 
time, the desire of some of her lovers for her turned to disgust 
and contempt.  They deceived her and lured her into a trap 
where they stripped and exposed her, beat her, mocked her and 
abused her as men often abuse and mock old whores who 
look and act like they've been over used.    The King knew about 
this and he greived deeply, but he was committed to open 
handed love {not holding someone against their will) as much as 
he was committed to all the covenants he had made to her, so 
he let her go her way.  

His grief was great and he always had some of his servants 
watching out for her so she would never lack food, clothing or 
shelter, ready to intervene if she ever called out for him and 
for his help to be resotred to him in their mariage covenant.  Yet 
she would not call out for her husband King to take her back  
as his wife, even when her users and abusers sold her as a slave 
to a foreign ruler and she was removed from the King's land.  
Pride, willfulness and deception or whatever kept her from 
returning to the abundance and comfort of married life with her 
husband King.  In his love for her he often wept when alone and 
his servants grieved for him.

Deeply grieved and grieving, hurt and hurting, lonely and in 
need for a wife upon whom he could pour out his love, desire 
and affection,  after many years he finally decided that he 
should remarry .      He knew who he wanted to marry, but there 
were great obstacles in the way.  He decided that it was time 
to act.  While in disguise and passing through a region under the 
control of an adversary  of his, he arrived at a slave auction.     
There on the block for sale was Lelah, a fully grown woman,  
half dressed and dirty,  broken and scarred by all the abuse that 
she had suffered as a slave.  She reminded him so very  much of 
his absent wife.    

He was deeply grieved by how much she had suffered and her 
wretched condition.  She had no idea that he had known her 
secretly since she was born.  He had remained unknown to her, 
but he was very aware of her and had even made plans for her 
well being and her future in the event that she might want such 
plans and help.  He was aware of the love he felt for her but 
knew that no relationship was possible until she had a change 
of heart and a desire for a better life.

Up until that point, Lelah had expressed little or no interest in 
the lifestyle that the King's disguised attendants had 
periodically described to her as a possibility.  She thought she 
was happy in her lifestyle with all her friends and family.  Her 
way of life, the life of a slave of a potentially dangerous and 
deadly master, had been enough for her because there had been 
good times and the bad times didn't seem that bad.  To her the 
offers by the King's disguised attendants seemed like fantasies 
and fairy tales.  

Then her life took a turn for the worse as she personally 
experienced her master's cruelty and depravity.   She realized 
that her life meant little or nothing to her master, that her 
suffering or death might even be a source of pleasure for her 
depraved master. Lelah then wished that she could be delivered 
from his control.   She had come to the point where she wished 
to be true the "fantasy" offers she had heard from the King's 
disguised attendants.  

After using and abusing Lelah, her cruel master decided he had 
enough of her for the time being and she was taken out to be 
sold at the slave auction (which take place to this very day in the 
same part of the world).  She was broken in body, mind and 
spirit----yet she now wished that the "fantasy" offers she had 
heard were true because she now knew how sad and 
unsatisfying her way of life was and could be at its worst.   She 
knew there was nothing she could do to deliver herself from her 
present circumstances.  As a used, abused and discarded female 
slave she believed that her life held little hope for anything 
better.

When Lelah talked with her neighbors and acquaintances, she 
spoke of her wish for the reality of those "fantasy" offers, her 
desire for the lifestyle and the King described by the disguised 
attendants of the King.  The King had learned of her change of 
heart.  He ordered his disguised attendants to watch out for 
her and her well being until he arrived.  When he arrived and 
saw her there in the slave auction, he wept.  Fighting through 
the tears he decided to do what he knew he had to do for her, 
what he had to do to win her heart, what he had to do to bring 
her into the safety he could offer her.

Not wanting Lelah to be overwhelmed by his position, title and 
riches, he put aside all of his finery and dressed as his 
attendants.  When he made it known to the auctioneer that he 
wanted to buy her, her eyes locked on him with awe and 
bewilderment as to why such a fine gentleman would want her.   
Her eyes could not beleive the kindness, the gentleness and 
compassion she saw in his eyes everytime their eyes met.  She 
was amazed at how his  compassionate eyes could change 
and become so strong and decisive when she saw him talking 
with his companions.  

Lelah saw him veil the forcefulness in his eyes when he dealt 
with the auctioneer.  The auctioneer mocked him as a fool and 
told him he could have her only after he punished her for all the 
trouble she had been to him.  The king learned that he could buy 
her only after she had been publicly stripped and flogged 
repeatedly in public to teach the other slaves a lesson.  
He was horrified and gravely concerned, knowing that the 
experience would kill her or permanently ruin her as a human 
being.

The King knew he could overwhelm this auctioneer and his 
master and force his will on them.  The King knew the 
auctioneer would never voluntarily sell Lelah to him if he knew  
he was a King and the fantastic life he wanted to give her as 
only kings could do.  The auctioneer had his heart set on the 
sadistic humiliation and abuse of this female slave who had 
failed to be content and satisfied with his treatment of her.  

Finally,  after much meditation,  he determined to remain 
disguised so as not to unduly influence Lelah,the slave girl he 
wanted to buy.   The disguised King offered to let the auctioneer 
strip and flog him if he would spare her and sell her to him.   He 
knew the auctioneer would not pass up such an opportunity to 
practice his sadism and maliciousness.  It was more important 
to him that she come to love him not because of his wealth and 
position, but because of his love and devotion for her.   

By  now the slave woman's eyes and mouth were open wide in 
amazement, wonder and longing to be delivered and loved by 
this apparently  benevolent master.  The King's attendants, who 
were in the crowd in disguise, were equally amazed and 
bewildered.   They were not aware of the powerful and 
overwhelming forces the King had all around them, ready to 
intervene at the King's signal.  

The slave girl knew by the disguised King's clothing that the 
custom of his people was that if they bought a slave girl capable 
of child bearing, he would have to treat her either as a wife 
(public covenant) or a concubine (private covenant) with all the 
legal responsibilities and rights of such a position.   She could 
barely believe it was happening to her but she wanted it so 
badly, to finally belong, be loved, be safe and have a home.   

  All the king had to do was say the word and he could have 
destroyed the auctioneer and his master, and had Lelah.
He didn't,   but proceeded as quietly as the lamb to the 
slaughter. The auctioneer mocked him but found the thought of 
publicly humiliating and abusing, stripping and flogging,  this 
fine gentleman much more entertaining than abusing the used 
and insignificant slave girl.  If the auctioneer and her former 
abusive master fully knew what the king would do to them 
years later,they never would have done so wickedly.

So he let them strip him, tie him down and flog him so badly 
that the skin on his back  and buttocks was torn and bleeding, so 
badly that a weaker man would have not recovered and would 
have died.  Finally with a sneer, and only because he feared 
possible reprisal by the friends of the man and the mocking of 
his other customers if he didn't keep his word, the auctioneer 
released the slave girl to him and cut him loose.  His attendants 
came out of the crowd and cared for him and the girl.  His blood 
was all over their hands as they held him and helped him.  In the 
rush, with their hands still bloody from attending the King, they 
went to Lelah to get her to safety and cover her, unwittingly 
getting her and coverings all bloody with the King's blood.  
Years later she still cherished those rags, covered with the blood 
of her Lover, a memorial of his Love for her.  

After being whipped, it took him several days  before he felt 
ready to come out of his private and secluded recovery to meet 
the now finely dressed, oiled and beautiful Lelah who had been 
the auctioneer's slave girl.  While he was recovering, the 
attendants told her all about their master and his personality, 
but only that he was connected to royalty and would be a ruler 
some day.  Using all that her king provided,  she prepared to 
meet him by bathing until her skin was squeekly clean and laying 
for hours in warm perfumed oils, soaking her skin and hair into 
awesome loveliness, softness and beauty-----all the time 
wondering what would become of her and would her new 
master-husband be as good to her as the attendants had told 
her.

  The same attendants were keeping the King informed on how 
Lelah was doing, how her response to his compassionate love 
worked in her  to be  thankful, kind, humble, gentle, thoughtful, 
unselfish and generous  with all she met.  Lelah  wasn't perfect 
and she knew it, but his love for her worked a powerful desire 
to do good and love others  and she became a more loving 
person on a daily basis.   He came to love her profoundly from 
the depth of his heart while he recovered and learned of her 
gracious loveliness, seeing her from a distance unknown to her.

When they finally  came together, they were so finely dressed 
and looking so wonderful that it could have been a wedding, but 
he wanted them to have their  public wedding when the two of 
them returned to his land.   So they stayed in Tirzah in the 
mountains.  He covenanted his love to her and covenanted his 
care for her and she accepted his covenants and agreed to be his 
wife.  Their relationship was a lovefeast, a classic honeymoon, 
and all made merry and celebrated the joy and beauty of true 
love between a man and his woman.  

 She let him shower her with his love, affection and attention   
to the point that in the depth of her heart she knew that her man 
loved her, loved her enough to suffer terribly for her, that she 
was safe with him, and she came to rest in and rejoice in their 
love.  Everytime Lelah saw or felt the horrible scars on his back, 
she was reminded of  how much he loved her and how precious 
her love was to him.   The more love he poured on her the more 
she poured back on him, seeking as many ways as possible to 
show her love and joy in him.   Unselfish and compassionate 
cherishing became the norm for their behavior and all those 
around them  rejoiced and celebrated the beauty and joy of their 
love and loving.  They spent years there in the province of 
Tirzah, happy years filled with wonderful memories.

In the meantime, his first wife, Ohola, had been reduced to 
having to eat pig slop just to survive, and had been abondoned 
by her false friends and lovers.   She came to sincerely regret her 
past behaviour, and to appreciate the husband she had lost. The 
King's disguised attendants saw this change and offered to help 
her return to the King's kingdom where she would be safer and 
live better.  Oholah had little hope of being reconciled to her 
husband, the King, but she accepted their offer to help her 
return to a village in his land.  She found less than a friendly 
welcome.  Many of her neighbors didn't want her to return and 
told her she had no right to return or be there.  Many refused to 
believe that she was Oholah the queen.  Many felt she had no 
right to be queen again and wanted others to be queens in her 
place.  Some even blamed her for the terrible beating and scars 
their king received obtaining Lelah's deliverance, saying that he 
would not have married Lelah if Oholah had been a good wife. 
The King remained silent but aware during all of this, still 
celebrating his marriage with Lelah inTirzah. 

Oholah was content just to be back in his kingdom.  The King's 
attendants, disguised as benefactors, expressed their support of 
her cause and were caring for her body and soul, helping her in 
the recovery that she now desperately wanted.  In fact she daily 
expressed her remorse and regret at having  been so foolish and 
so unfaithful to her husband King, often inquiring if it were 
possible he would still be willing to at least keep his covenants 
and commitments he had made to her even if he couldn't bring 
himself to be husband to her again.  Most of the time she didn't 
even have hope that she and the King would be reconciled, 
though she was content and happy to be back in his land.  

Bathed in oils, fragrances and perfumes and clothed in finery 
her former beauty began to appear again, but even more 
impressive was her change of heart.  Her ordeal had taught her 
gratitude for kindness and love, taught her humility and 
compassion for the needy, and she had learned the wonderful 
value of human cherishing  when it is unselfish and 
compassionate.  She was now lovely inside and out,  and she 
had become precious to those who attended to her needs.

While the King and Lelah were in Tirzah, pouring out their 
hearts to each other, they learned much of each other's past and 
what had brought them together, how their past seemed to 
have prepared them for each other.  Lelah learned about 
Oholah and in her love for him she came to share his grief and 
sense of loss of  Oholah.  Her heart was set to love whoever he 
loved, to do good to all to whom he did good, to care for all 
those dear to him.  Their hearts and love had become one heart 
and one love, and all who loved them rejoiced in their love.  

Her union with him moved her to care deeply about and seek 
the good of Oholah, even though she knew her husband was 
such a man of integrity that he would believe he was still 
committed to keep his covenants with Oholah even though he 
loved her, Lelah, so much and so dearly.   The King shared his 
joy with Lelah that Oholah had returned, that she was doing 
well and that she was a whole new person, a loving and 
gracious person.  Lelah loved him so much that she could not 
help but share his joy.   She sought ways that she could help her 
"sister" Oholah be fully restored.   Oholah was marvelously 
cared for and helped in her recovery, by the Love of the King, 
Lelah and their servants.

Years had passed in Tirzah for the King and Lelah, but now it 
was time to return to his palace and throne.  There was a 
triumphal entry and a wedding feast that lasted for days.  Their  
joy and love made Camelot seem like a nightmare.  After all had 
settled down to daily living, Lelah daily supervised the care for 
Oholah in the neighboring town, and often attended Oholah 
herself, but in disguise so that Oholah would not know that she 
was the King's new  wife.  Lelah served Oholah with love and 
devotion, washing her feet and hair while they talked on and 
on, becoming dear friends.  She massaged Oholah's old wounds 
and bruises and saw to it that Oholah had the best of everything 
to be fully recovered and restored.  

In their times together, Oholah would often share her 
memories of her husband king and her regret for her foolish 
abuse of his love for her.  Lelah rejoiced in hearing Oholah's 
version of her memories of her husband King, and she rejoiced 
that his word was confirmed by Oholah.   Oholah became even  
more and lovely and gracious in the care of Lelah and the 
attendants, thriving on and in their obvious and devoted love 
for her.  The souls of Oholah and Lelah became knit together, 
closer than sisters. They would often be seen walking, talking, 
laughing and singing together, as good girl friends do.   The 
King and Lelah knew it was  time for Oholah to return to the 
palace as the wife and queen that she was and had become.

Oholah's old lovers and abusers heard of Oholah's change of 
heart and imminent reunion with her King.  They were furious 
and raged against her.    They were mad with bitterness, 
jealousy, pride and malice.  They and their allies determined to 
get rid of her and the King.  They attacked her and hurt her but 
the King rescued her and the King destroyed and smashed these 
their enemies with irresistable and overwhelming force.  Now 
Oholah could safely be reunited with her King.

The crowds went crazy with joy when Oholah was brought to 
the palace.  The realm declared days of feasting and celebration 
for the recoronation of Queen Oholah.    When she was finally 
brought into the palace and entered the room where the King 
awaited her, it was Lelah who greeted her and brought her to 
their husband King.  The three of them melted together and held 
each other , with Lelah embracing  Oholah and the King as they 
embraced each other.  They wept and laughed and hugged and 
kissed and rejoiced.  Finally after their emotions had calmed 
enough, the King introduced Lelah to Oholah as his wife 
and second queen.  Oholah almost fainted but Lelah embraced 
her and they both laughed and cried and rejoiced that they could 
be together and friends, sharing so much intimacy, love and 
rejoicing.

Though the king  was old, he lacked no energy in passionately 
and attentively loving and caring for his wives, to their delight.  
Oholah and Lelah became one in joy, love, rejoicing and the 
unselfishly compassionate cherishing of the King and the King's 
subjects, overseeing his benevolent plans for the people of 
his realm.  The circle of their love became so legendary that a 
book-poem was written of their exceptional love and their 
many kind and generous acts for the poor and the needy.   Not 
all shared in this joy and loving, the heartsof some being bound 
in greed, pride, selfishness and evil, but the King and his 
servants were able to hold their evil in check for the 
accomplishing of his good will.   There was literally  peace on 
earth and good will towards men.  

Not all of this parable of the Love King has come to pass, 
because allegorically He is still in Tirzah with Lelah, but we can 
count on Him to make the rest come to pass just as He has in the 
past, because He is able.   Older than time, born and revealed in 
Bethlehem, tortured to death on Golgotha, alive today-----this 
King of Love will fulfill all of His good Word and reign in 
Jerusalem with both Lelah and Oholah at His side forever.  
Please let Him be your King , let Him love you, and be there 
with Him forever.

In this parable/allegory from Ezekiel 16, Ezek 23, Hosea, the 
Song of Solomon and the NewTestament, the King is Jesus, the 
Love He offered Oholah and Lelah is the same Love and Loving 
He offers you today if you will only receive Jesus as your 
Deliverer from sin and give yourself entirely to Him 
recognizing Him as your Master and King,  the poverty stricken 
land where he  found Oholah is Egypt's Goshen, Oholah is 
Israel, their marriage at Mt. Sinai, the barren wilderness the 
Sinai  wilderness, His land the land of Canaan,  
Oholah's lovers - the people and gods of Canaan and Egypt, 
Lelah the slave girl - the Church - the body of Christ,
the King's flogging - the crucifixion, the auctioneer - Roman & 
Jewish leaders controlled by Satan, Tirzah - the place of 
Christ's Church in the world today, Oholah's return to the land 
- the rebirth of Israel as a nation, the triumphal return of the 
King and His Lelah - the rapture of the believers,  The reunion 
of Oholah with the King and Lelah - His second coming - His 
return to earth to rule the earth from Jerusalem for 1000 years 
in fulfillment of all of his promises to David and Israel.


An old servant of the King,
Tyler

HIS LOVE FOR ME**************************

I believed Jesus was real, but I sure didn't think that He Loved 
me, and I was actively considering  a suicidal life style or suicide 
itself because I  didn't care to live in a world that only had 
selfish and conditional "love".  I didn't believe that any human 
really LOVED any other human. The proof that persuaded me 
that God not only could but actually  did Love me was that 
Christ died for me.  I could argue with most other points, but I 
couldn't deny that Jesus died.   Even unbelievers believed Jesus 
lived and died.  To me that was a historical fact that few 
disputed.  So when I saw that I had solid historical evidence 
that Jesus died, I was ready to seriously consider that just 
maybe He Loved me enough to really  die for me.  

I respected and believed the Bible, so when she showed me book 
after book, chapter after chapter, verse after verse that plainly 
stated that the reason Jesus died (that solid historical fact), was 
because God so Loved me and the world and because He 
wanted to Love me as Father, as Shepherd, as King, as 
Deliverer in a very intimate and personal relationship,  - - - -  
my eyes began to see, my mind to understand my heart wanted 
that Love.  When she showed me why He let them kill Him, that 
it was His choice, that He died to take my place in the court of 
Divine Justice------- well she had me.  I couldn't deny that he 
died, and she persuaded that God so Loved me that He sent His 
only begotten Son to die in my place so that I could be His child 
------- Eureka!  Yahoo! I had discovered the Love I was 
looking for, a Love that I could live for, a Love to give my life to 
and for.    I already had believed that He rose from the dead and 
was coming back, but now I could have a Father-son 
relationship with the GOD who was Love.
        
I believed her, accepted Him and got all excited.  I told her that I 
had to check all of this out with the youth sponsor, Chuck Hill, 
to make sure that all that she told me was right on.   After 
Chuck confirmed everything the woman had told me, I thanked 
him and went up the other hill side to pray my prayer of thanks, 
believing, receiving and trusting Jesus as my God, my King and 
Saviour.  I was such a babe I didn't realize that I had been 
born again as soon as I talked to Chuck, because I believed Jesus 
and had faith in Jesus alone to bring me into right relationship 
with God, as soon a Chuck confirmed it all.  I believed, received 
Him and was born again even before I made my big formal 
acceptance prayer.
        
Talk about a radical life change in a few weeks! Within a month 
of my 8th grade year (Oct. or Nov.) my grades rose from D+ to 
an average of "B".  Instead of being the expelled disrupter of my 
youth group, I became a leader in my church youth group, my 
school's Bible club (the girls had a hard time believing 
I had changed).  Instead of letting my twisted and dysfunctional 
family pull me down with them, I determined to do what I could 
do for my messed up family, especially my mom and dad.

HIS GREAT LOVE FOR YOU*********************


Do you know exactly where you stand with the 
God and Creator of the universe?  Have you asked Him to be your 
Father in the Heavens?  Have you believed/trusted/relied/depended 
on the Lord/King Jesus Christ ---the God anointed Saviour King of 
Israel ----to save you from your faults, failures and mistakes? 

Salvation from personal faults/failures/mistakes belongs to the 
poor in spirit.  Matt. 5:3 says, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is 
the kingdom of heaven." If you recognize that you are spiritually 
destitute---totally incapable of deserving or earning salvation from 
your errors in any way, you are poor in spirit-- you are humble.   The 
poor in spirit, the humble, understand that they are sinners, totally 
impotent to please or to serve God.

To acknowledge that you are a sinner unable to save yourself is 
humility.  Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1 Tim. 
1:15).  Isaiah said, "When You make His soul an offering for sin, He 
shall see [His] seed.  He shall prolong [His] days and the pleasure of the 
Lord shall prosper in His hand.  He shall see the distressing travail of 
His soul, and be satisfied.  By His knowledge My righteous Servant 
shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities."

Poverty of spirit (humility) is interwoven in the act of 
repentance, the life-altering change of mind about you, your sin and 
God.  When you repent (change your mind), you see yourself as you 
really are and you change your mind in respect to your relationship to 
God the Father and to His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.  The act of 
repentance brings you to see your sin as ugly as it is, as God sees it, and 
you come to a point where you want to be free from it.
        
Of course, freedom from sin comes only by believing/trusting/ 
relying on the Lord Jesus Christ.  The one who is regularly committing 
sin is the slave of sin.  However, if the Son shall set you free from 
regularly committing sin, you shall be free indeed (John 8:334,36)
                
The poor in spirit see their impotence to free themselves from 
sin/failures/faults/errors.  They see that freedom is possible only 
through Christ's  death for us as our substitute.  They recognize that 
salvation/deliverance comes by God's act of undeserved and 
unmeritted kindness and mercy alone.  They choose to believe God 
and His Word about themselves and their relationship with Him.
                
One cannot speak of the Crucifixion apart from the Resurrection.
It is the resurrection that gives us newness of life.  Christ's resurrection 
testifies to two vital truths.  One, it shows that God was propitiated, or 
satisfied, with the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ.  Jesus became 
the bearer of our sins.  Isaiah's word is "But he was wounded/pierced 
for our transgressions, bruised/crushed for our iniquities; The 
chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes (from the 
cutting whips) we are healed."  In Romans 4:25 we read, "[He] who was 
delivered up because of our transgressions, and was raised [from the 
dead] because of our justification."  "Raised because of our justifica-
tion" means that because Jesus' payment (the death of His body) for our 
sins was adequate to satisfy the demands of justice and a Holy God,  
God could then declare us righteous, justified and made acceptable in 
His sight.  Jesus was raised from death because His death for us satisfied 
the righteousness of our Holy God.
        
His resurrection shows us that Jesus Christ conquered death.  
Death had a holdover man because of his sin/error/failures/faults.  
However, once the death penalty of sin was paid for by the death of 
Christ's body, death no longer had any holding power.  "The sting of 
death is sin, and the power of sin is the law" (1 Corinth. 15:56).  Jesus
paid the price of redemption, redeeming us from the curse of the Law, 
having become a curse for us ---for cursed was everyone who was hung 
on a tree/stake (Deut. 21:23; Gala. 3:13).
        
His death took away the power of sin. Jesus also took the stinger 
out of death by paying for our sin so that we need have no fear of what 
awaits us in and after death. Because our sin debt is paid for in full by 
Christ, death has no power over us.
        
Dear reader, have you come to the end of yourself? Have you 
seen your total impotence, your total unworthiness? Have you seen 
your nothingness apart from God?  And have you seen Jesus, God the 
Son who took upon Himself flesh and blood that He might die for you 
and for all people?   Have you decided that you want His Way and Will 
in and for your life instead of your own will and way?
        
Do you  believe that? Do you believe He died in your place? Do 
you believe that He was made sin for you, so that you, a helpless and 
hopeless enemy of God, might have His righteousness and His life?  
Have you repented---turned away from self-will to believe on the Lord 
Jesus Christ----the God anointed Saviour King of Israel?  Out loud with 
your mouth agree with God about the God anointed Saviour King of 
Israel, and you will be saved, "for with the heart man believes, 
resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses [Jesus], 
resulting in salvation." Romans 10:10-13.
Joel 2: 32 And it shall be, whoever shall call on the name of the LORD 
shall be saved; for salvation shall be in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, 
as the LORD has said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Ps 119:6 Then I shall not be ashamed, when I have respect to all Your 
commandments.
Ps 119:80 Let my heart be sound in Your statutes, so that I may not be 
ashamed.
Ps 119:116 Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live; and let 
me not be ashamed of my hope.
        
The preceeding Good News presentation is a paraphrase of K. Arthur's "Lord 
Heal My Hurts"   K. Arthur may neither subscribe to, nor endorse my files 
described below, but the Lord uses her teaching mightily in the mending, 
healing and restoring of broken lives, and in the nurturing of believers.  For 
more helpful information to help you with your decision and walk in Christ, 
write K. Arthur at
Precept Ministries
P.O. Box 182218
Chattanooga, Tennessee 37422
(423) 892-6814
Other resources for your walk in Christ:
 http://www.emmaus.edu/
http://www.insight.org
http://www.freedominchrist.com

***********************************
Peace, Tyler
oldservant@mindspring.com
http://www.etext.info/Religion-----then click on Polyamory
http://www.etext.info/Religious.texts/Polyamory
http://www.mindspring.com/users/~oldservant