Carmagedon or the lack there of

I find it amazing what people can accomplish when we work together. I'm thinking of so many things that were built before we had "modern" machinery. Like the Eiffel Tower, the Panama Canal, the pyramids. We have build grand ships that sailed across the Atlantic centuries ago. We are capable of so much as people when we work together. I'm thinking of the fears LA had of Carmagedon. The biggest traffic jam ever in the US. But everyone worked together and the streets were more than manageable. My question is, what would happen if we worked together to clear the roads everyday? What if all of us cared about the starving in Africa. What if we all did something about it all at the same time? What are we capable of if we all came together and did it?

The thing is, we are also capable of horrific evil if we band together for an evil cause. Take for instance the reign of Hitler or the 9/11 terrorist attack. I'm thinking of what God said as the people were building the tower of Babel in Genesis 11, " But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the LORD said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” It makes me wonder what the problem was. What did God see as dangerous? (listening) This one thing comes to mind. The tower had people working together for an uninspired and therefore ungodly cause. At the base of it's inspiration was fear and fear is at odds with Love.

I don't believe that fear is an emotion. Sometimes there is respect, like I respect a snake that is close enough to bite me. My respect of the snake causes me to step back and give it room. Or I respect the danger of heights. But fear, the kind of fear that motivates us to make poor choices is a spirit. Romans 8:15 says, :For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” What is "the spirit of bondage again to fear"? Fear is the enemy. The motivation of evil comes from fear. It's what drives us into terrible things and it's what drives us away from amazing good.

We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). We could clear the streets of Los Angeles. We could feed the millions or stop the slave trade. It boil down to who is inspiring us.