Professional Documents
Culture Documents
FEBRUARY 2015
VOL.9 No. 2
Prov 27:19
As in water face answereth to face, so the
heart of man to man.
Years ago my wife wanted to see this verse in the Bible expressed through
a picture of an Indian drinking water and seeing their reflection in the water. Mrs.
Sonbox, who drew the pictures on page five, drew this picture for my wife on her
birthday. It made me stop and think about this verse.
Looking into the water is like looking into a mirror. Why do we go
straight to a mirror when we wake in the mornings? We want to fix whatever is
out of place from our nights sleep. Most of us do not go to the mirror to admire
our beauty. For some of us it is hard to face the reality of our looks! We want
to know if we are presentable to the public. We dont want to be embarrassed if
there is broccoli in our teeth from the day before.
What if we see a flaw on our face and do not fix it? We get distracted and
leave the mirror and forget all about what we just saw. Everyone sees it as we go
about the day, but we have forgotten that it needs to be fixed. We think we are fine
and wonder why others give us such looks when we pass by.
That is what happens to us when we look into the law of God. The law
is like a looking glass and it shows all the flaws of our lives when we take a good
look in it. The law was given to reveal sin, never to wash sin away. The law is a
mirror; it is not a wash cloth. When sin is revealed to us we must take the water
of the word and wash sin away. Nothing can clean the dirt of sin from our lives
but the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Washing with anything else just adds dirt
to dirt. Jesus was pure, without spot and His blood leaves you white as snow.
(Continued on page 2)
Al Larson 40 times
Barbara Davis
Dorothy Callen 25 times
Denise Odom
Jerry Brewster 60 times
Gloria Brewster 60 times
Don & Mildred Bennett
Laberta Vanzant
O.J. Vanzant
Patsy Ragland
DElda Spracklen 4 times
Kevin Spracklen 10 times
Dorothy Cheatham
Ronda Brazier
Judy Connor
Mary Cory
Mary DeVore
Barbara Law
Mary Mancia
Martina Matthews
Kay Overstreet
Sharon Poe
Doris Richards
Linda Thornton
Orville Thornton
Renee Walters
Matt Wilkerson
I shall never forget how good
it felt to know I had read every word
in the Bible. I had read my Bible for
years but never attempted to read every
word. You can join us this year. It is
never too late to start. If it takes you a
little longer, do not stop until you have
completed your reading. I know many
more are reading through their Bibles
and some do not want to publish their
names, but it is an encouragement to
see the names of those who have spent
their time in the word of God this
year.
A lot of people are willing to look into the mirror, but then walk away
without fixing the problem. When sin is revealed to us, God expects us to purge
it from our lives. As James says, be doers and not hearers only.
James 1:22-25
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding
his natural face in a glass:
For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what
manner of man he was.
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being
not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
James tells us what the law of liberty is in chapter two. We are at liberty to do as
we please (freewill), but what we put out is what comes home to us. God corrects us according to our ways. God doesnt just pick a punishment for us. We pick our punishment
by the works we do. What we are enduring today is a result of what we did yesterday.
Many Christians who understand once saved, always saved, often do not realize how important their daily actions are. No, I will not lose my salvation once Christ has birthed me
into the family of God, but my actions determine my fellowship with God and my manner
of life on earth. My daily actions are greatly important to eternity and the here and now
of this life. What I do and how I do it is very important to my life and the lives of those I
touch.
Many people, because of spiritual blindness flatter themselves, but the mirror of
Gods word never flatters us. When we attend to the word of God, so as to see ourselves,
our true state and condition, to rectify what is amiss, and to form and dress ourselves anew
by the glass of Gods word, this is to make a proper use of the mirror of the law. Matthew
Henry writes, People who sit under the word, are affected with their own sinfulness,
misery, and danger, acknowledge the evil of sin, and their need of Christ; but, when their
hearing is over, all is forgotten, convictions are lost, good affections vanish, and pass
away like the waters of a land-flood: he straightway forgets. Our sins are the spots which
the law discovers; Christs blood is the laver which the gospel shows. In vain do we hear
Gods word, and look into the gospel glass, if we go away, and forget our spots, instead of
washing them off, and forget our remedy, instead of applying to it. The law is for counsel
and direction, Christ is for cleansing of sin. Something we should notice here is that the
verse does not say we will be blessed for good deeds, it says we will be blessed IN our
deeds. The blessing comes in DOING not in HEARING the word of God.
Now we return to our first verse, As in water face answereth to face, so the heart
of man to man. Why do you think Adam and Eve hid from God when they had sinned?
Their sin would have been seen in their faces. God says that we are to worship in spirit
and truth, and who we are is seen in our spirits. I am amazed at how many people think
they are hiding their sins and their thoughts, when anyone who cares and is watching
can see their sin and thoughts in the spirit they possess. Be sure your sins will find you
out and one of the places our sins are found is in our countenance. I may not know why
you are troubled, but I can see in your face when you are troubled. I may not know what
you are guilty of, but I can see in your face when you are guilty. When we come face to
face with others, we can both see and be seen as we are. Many times we are not honest
with our words, but our spirit is honest about who it is and it cannot hide. Each one of
us should examine our conscience, but those who see us face to face see our thoughts, affections and intentions through our spirits. We need to examine these things, because we
think they are covered, when actually they are exposed by our spirit, which shows on our
face. Is that scary to you? If it is scary to think that man can see through you, just imagine
how we will feel when we stand before a Holy God without any covering!
Here is one more verse we need
to look at.
Prov 27:17
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
This is Matthew Henrys remarks on this verse.
This intimates both the pleasure
and the advantage of conversation. One
man is nobody; nor will poring upon a
book in a corner accomplish a man as the
reading and studying of men will. Wise and
profitable discourse sharpens mens wits;
and those that have ever so much knowledge
may by conference have something added
to them. It sharpens mens looks, and, by
cheering the spirits, puts a briskness and
liveliness into the countenance, and gives a
man such an air as shows he is pleased himself and makes him pleasing to those about
him. Good mens graces are sharpened by
converse with those that are good, and bad
mens lusts and passions are sharpened by
converse with those that are bad, as iron is
sharpened by its like, especially by the file.
Men are filed, made smooth, and bright,
and fit for business (who were rough, and
dull, and inactive), by conversation. This is
designed, 1. To recommend to us this expedient for sharpening ourselves, but with
a caution to take heed whom we choose to
converse with, because the influence upon
us is so great either for the better or for the
worse. 2. To direct us what we must have in
our eye in conversation, namely to improve
both others and ourselves, not to pass away
time or banter one another, but to provoke
one another to love and to good works and
so to make one another wiser and better.
The bottom line is that when
we come face to face with ourself or
with another face, this is a time to examine ourselves and to make a difference in the face of others. We do effect
those around us and they most certainly effect us. Lets be DOERS and no
HEARERS only of the Word.
----Jerry Brewster
2 Chron 16:9
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro
throughout the whole earth, to shew
himself strong in the behalf of them
whose heart is perfect toward him........
This last month we had five
different friends call and tell us they
had been diagnosed with cancer. Our
hearts are overwhelmed with concern
for their lives. I remembered finding
this little paper a few years ago. If you
are fighting sickness or know someone
who is, we hope this will encourage
your heart.
Cancer is so limited...
It cannot cripple love,
It cannot shatter hope,
It cannot corrode faith,
It cannot eat away peace,
It cannot destroy confidence,
It cannot kill friendship,
It cannot shut our memories,
It cannot silence courage,
It cannot invade the soul,
It cannot reduce eternal life,
It cannot quench the Spirit.
And the Bible is the only
book on Earth that has the answer to
all three conditions. For this reason,
it is important to have a rock-ribbed
assurance that the Bible is the Word of
God.
Some despise the Bible, while
others merely deny it. Still others distort it and have warped, misused, and
abused it. But even though many actively oppose this book, I believe the
greatest enemy of the Word of God is
the so-called Christian who simply ignores the Bible or disregards it. He
gives only lip service to it.
As someone has said, These
hath God married and no man shall
part: dust in the Bible and drought in
the heart. The things that keep us
going are truth and conviction - the
things we know are true. Feelings
come and go, but Gods Word never
wavers.
Your salvation depends on understanding the gospel message of the
Bible.
Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
I Corinthians 15:57
ADRIAN ROGERS
What Every
CHRISTIAN
Ought to Know
Man has only three problems,
I once said to a lawyer seated next to me
on an airplane. They are: sin, sorrow,
and death. He said, No, there are more
problems than that.
IN LOVING MEMORY OF
HELEN SELF
1933 to 2015
I would appreciate you praying for my family at this time. Helen was my sister and she is the first
of our siblings to pass away. Helen
and her family were with us years ago
when Bro. Roloff held his tent revival
and preached, And the Mule Walked
On. That night the tent fell on 1800
people and we all have amazing stories to share about it. My sister always
served her church with everything she
had. She loved Gods house. Her two
daughters stayed by her side for a long
time while she was in pain. This poem
is written by her youngest daughter,
Linda Singelton.
----Jerry Brewster
REMEMBERING
The next in winters grips you find,
Favored thoughts of Mom upon
your mind.
Settle in with cup in hand,
Warm thoughts of Mom in the
Promise Land.
Think and marvel of how she lived,
And all the good that she did give.
Her busy hands worked long and
hard,
Never a challenge was ever barred.
Her feet did slow and come to rest,
But be assured, she gave her best.
Her body worn from life lived long,
Weak and frail no longer strong.
In Heavens glory. forever will
abide.
Her loved ones now all by her side.
No more hugs will we receive,
Gods promises we must believe.
When our race is run to the end,
Upon angels wings we shall ascend.
We'll meet her there beyond the sky,
In Heavens glory by and by.
In Loving Memory of my Mom:
Helen Walden Self
Forever Remembering!
F
E
M
A
L
E
By
Gloria Brewster
INSPIRATIONS
(Continued on page 6)
GENESIS I & II
Sonbox is a member of the Galilean Baptist Church and a real blessing to be around. It is a miracle when God brings a life out of
the religion they were brought up in. If you were taught the Christian life by your family, you have no idea what it is like to have
to turn from your parents beliefs. Sonbox is painting the book of Genesis. These are her first two. The whole chapter is printed
inside the painting.
SONBOX
Growing up for twenty-two years as a very imaginative, artistic girl, I was fascinated with Chiromancy and Physiognomy.
Influenced by my ambitious, Buddhist leader mother and my scholarly and reserved stepfather, I knew that I was not going to live a normal life. Heavily influenced by my mothers dreams and big ideas, I traveled from Japan to America to build my artist career. In 1994,
a pivotal and life changing event happened when I was at San Diego State University. I was studying English as a English Language
student, my eyes opened and saw a much bigger universe of which an artist could not dream. As a sinner, I saw the incredible power of
God and discovered eternal life through Jesus Christ as my Savior. It took me a long time to realize the true meaning of the Christian
life. I was not living a truly fulfilling life and did not even know what was the purpose of my life. Even though I knew I was saved, I was
still living for my own dreams and my own purpose. I know for sure that my purpose in life, as God originally created me, is to glorify
God by fearing Him and obeying Him.
Whenever I visit at my parents' house in Korea, there are three life-sized golden Buddha statues and many Buddhist related idols
in all respects of devotion in my parents' house. My mom still has over two-hundred followers. Ten years ago, she had two-thousand
followers and built a multimillion-dollar Buddhist temple with her Buddhist believers. It was totally Gods timing and His grace which
allowed me to be saved from these circumstances. God brought me to the United States and moved me right into a Christians home
which led me to a wonderful Baptist church. It is there that I saw Gods unconditional love and His amazing plan of salvation. Soon
after I accepted Jesus Christ as my Savior, I went to a Bible college in Crown Point, Indiana. There were so many valuable experiences
and training opportunities at that Bible college. Not only was I learning about the Bible for the first time, but I was also being exposed
to many dedicated Christians and wonderful missionaries children who were my partners in presenting the Gospel of Christ to others.
The most exciting projects that I enjoy are working on church stage art projects and props for seasonal Gospel dramas. I am praying that
God will always use me in whatever is pleasing to Him, and that I have something that I can offer to others in order to glorify and honor
Him for the rest of my life.
Matt 7:2-5
For with what judgment ye judge, ye
shall be judged: and with what measure
ye mete, it shall be measured to you
again.
And why beholdest thou the mote that
is in thy brothers eye, but considerest
not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Or how wilt thou say to thy brother,
Let me pull out the mote out of thine
eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own
eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam
out of thine own eye; and then shalt
thou see clearly to cast out the mote out
of thy brothers eye.
KJV
Our greatest downfall in learning to love is that we begin with the
other person and not ourselves. Our
judgment goes to the other person instead of judging where we are coming from. If we will begin at our own
house then we will be clean and able to
help the other person to clean up their
lives. You dont convince a person that
you know how to wash dirt off their
face when you have mud all over your
face!
The action of the other person
is small when it comes to being able
to damage your life. Their actions are
like a prick to your eye. It hurts, but
it will not cause you to lose your eye
sight. Your actions are destructive to
you. Their actions are destructive to
them. Your action is like a beam and
can cause you to go blind. We destroy
ourselves!
Oh, if only we could learn to
walk and live in godly love. What a
difference it would make to our lives.
I spend many hours a day with
people who are wounded and hurting.
The wound and the hurting come from
our responses, not from the arrow that
was shot at us. A lack of godly love
leaves us in great pain. Love is free
and it works every time. Live it!!!
What a joy it is to serve our precious Lord and Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ. The Christian life is NEVER boring! When Gloria and I turned our lives
over to God and desired Him to lead and direct us, our lives became extraordinary. Sometimes it is like being on a roller coaster. Its exciting, it has its ups and
downs and yet it is a feeling of accomplishment. We have been places we thought
we would never get to go and we have done things we thought we could not do.
We are not sure about where we are right now, but we are sure that we are where
God wants us. It is a blessing to see Bro. Matt and Mrs. Jeri Lynn Wilkerson doing such a great job with the Galilean Baptist Church. We will be going to California next month to speak at a Valentine Banquet and both Gloria and I will teach
Sunday School the following Sunday morning. We will be teaching on Learning
to Love. Godly love is the secret to a full rich life and worth seeking to learn to
the best of our ability. Physically I have had two very good weeks. God amazes
me with His work to keep me going. He is a generous and loving God and I thank
Him for everyday He gives me.
May we again tell you our burden. We desire to increase our monthly
amount of paper, but because it is printed free we do not have the freedom to put
more of burden on the printer. We need a way to print the paper as reasonable
as possible. We are told that there is no way we can produce the paper with the
funds we have, but we believe there has to be a way. The equipment and the ink
are very expensive and most say we should just forget it. We just cannot forget it.
We are praying about this and we ask if you are blessed at all with this little paper.
Please pray about this with us. If God does not want us to expand, we will be at
rest with that, but we feel we should ask Him for these needs. How He responds
to our prayers will let us know what direction to take for our lives today. We keep
thinking about the verse, We have not because we ask not. We are not asking
you to give; we are asking you to pray. If God asks you to give, then you may
be the answer to our prayer. We have some friends that have told us if they had a
million dollars they would give it to us. Laughingly we say, We will pray God
gives it to you. The truth is most of us do not have great excess when it comes to
money, but God owns everything and He is who we need to hear from. What do
you need today? Together lets learn how to seek God about meeting our needs
so the world can see His love for our lives.
Gloria got a special letter this month. The return address read, Isaiah
40:31. Inside she found a note that said, This is personal for Gloria Brewster
and it is from The Master. It was a $25 Wal-Mart card. It made her day that
someone took the time to do this. We love the letters and the notes we receive
each month. Please keep them coming. Please pray for the health of Al Larson &
Bobbie Mayhew. Both are supporters of this paper.
Letters: Thanks so much for writing in Tid Bits about waiting on the Lord. Isaiah 40:31
has been my rock these past four months. D. Spracklin, Dallas, Tx. My thanks to you
for sending the Tid Bits paper. I always enjoy it so much. I am so sorry that Jerry is not
doing well. My prayers are with booth of you. I have had several physical problems this
last year also. I am thankful to just be able to put my feet on the floor every day. Please
take care. D. Cheatham, Lakeland, Ten. Your Tid Bits newspaper is such a blessing, and
we appreciate your timely advice and counsel from Gods Word that it gives. In your last
issue, you mentioned that it would help with expenses if could send the letter via e-mail
instead of through the post..Thank you for your great ministry. May the Lord give you
health and strength and many more years of service to Him. L. Bohman
Non-Profit Organ.
U.S. Postage
Permit 697
DeSoto, Texas 75115
Ps 34:15
The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto
their cry.
Prov 5:21
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all
his goings.
Prov 15:3
The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
1 Peter 3:12
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto
their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
SPANISH TRACTS
CMCimino@yahoo.com
TID BITS OF WISDOM
Bro. Jerry & Gloria Brewster
1801 Old Hickory Trail
DeSoto, Texas 75115
E-mail TidBitsWWW@aol.
com
Website: tidbitswww.com
214-293-5252