Imagine The Possibility

1 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, 2 make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. 3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. 5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 12 Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed me, not only in my presence, but much more now in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.(Phil. 2:1-13)

I am thinking of one word this morning: possibility.  Because when I read these word from Paul, as he writes to the Philippians, my mind imagines what could be possible with just a little adjustment of the human ego. 

3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. 4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.

Imagine!  Just let your mind roam the wonders of what it would be like to live in a community -- not to mention the whole world -- if we all just stepped back from ourselves for a moment and remembered.  Remembered that every single  person on this earth has feeling and thoughts and fear and quirks.  That every person has wants and hopes and needs the same as we do.  Not one person -- not even you or me -- is without fault or rough edges.  If we could all get out of our navel and allow our neighbor the same space of grace we enjoy.  Imagine the possibility for peaceful existence!  

And by the way, it is a possibility.  It is possible because God has placed in each person his Spirit to enable us to be unselfish.  Yep!  I truly believe that!  God's Spirit is just waiting for us to listen to his prompting.  Thats all!  We just have to remember to listen!  We have to want God's activity in our crazy imperfect selves.  God doesn't expect us to be angels with wings.  God just wants us to want to live graciously, as we move among all the other crazy people that surround us, with the offer of God's loving acceptance.  The same loving acceptance God offers to us each minute of the day.

The possibility is very possible!  At least for the majority of the world population.