GOLDEN OLDIES MEETING: Food for the body and food for the soul!
This past week, our Golden Oldies met at Helderberg Village for a morning of fellowship, tea and eats, and time together in God’s Word. Sandy Allen spoke on the importance of the Christian’s mindset and attitude of “one another-ness”. She writes:
About fifty times in the New Testament, Jesus and the apostles tell us to feel, say, or do something to “one another.” The Golden Oldies feasted first and then worked, looking up some of these verses. Scott Hubbard divides the “One-anothers” into five categories.
We must have Christ’s mind or attitude. Honouring one another, clothed with humility towards one another, submitting to one another. We must offer Christ’s welcome and acceptance. Accept one another as Christ has accepted you. The stranger, the lost, the lonely, even the difficult saint! Show hospitality to one another. Live in harmony with one another. Speak Christ’s words. Teach, admonish, encourage and pray for one another. Spur one another on to love and good works. Show Christ’s love. 14 times we read, “Love one another”. Serve one another, do good to one another. Bear one another’s burdens. Possibly the hardest test is to Give Christ’s grace. Grace costs the giver! Bear with one another in love. Forgive one another, as God forgave you. If we practice these “one anothers” we will advance Christ’s mission to the world. We live in a world full of brokenness, enmity, manipulation and selfishness. We need to be different. “By this shall men know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
The Carpenter’s workshop illustrates this truth:
There was trouble in the Carpenter’s workshop and the tools were having a row. One said, “It is all the hammer’s fault. He is much too noisy.“
“Nonsense,” the hammer protested, “I think the blame lies with the saw. He keeps moving backwards and forwards, and can never make up his mind.”
The saw shouted, “I am not too blame. I think it is the plane’s fault. His work is so shallow, he does nothing but skim the surface.”
The plane objected loudly, “I think the trouble lies with the screwdriver, always going around in circles.”
“That’s ridiculous,” the screwdriver said, “The whole trouble began with the ruler, because he is always measuring other people by his own standards.”
The ruler was furious, “Then what about the sandpaper? He is always rubbing people up the wrong way!”
“Why pick on me?” said the sandpaper, “I think you ought to blame the drill for being so boring”
Just then the carpenter walked in and began to work. Each one of those unique tools, each with its own specific purpose and usefulness was essential for the masterpiece the carpenter created.