Holy Spirit and Human Need

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Scripture:

Joel 3:1 ¶ For then, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem,
Joel 3:2 I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat, and I will enter into judgment with them there, on account of my people and my heritage Israel, because they have scattered them among the nations. They have divided my land,
Joel 3:3 and cast lots for my people, and traded boys for prostitutes, and sold girls for wine, and drunk it down.

Observation:

These verses come right near the end of Joel's prophecy regarding the last days and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  Then we get a glimpse of the last days here on this earth and what that looks like for the people of the earth will have disregarded the leading of the Lord and will have moved into depravity.  The nations will be divided and God's holy people will be divided.  They will not be serving him in the way in which he desired.  God's holy people will have been bought and sold as if they were commodities.  Little boys will be traded to prostitutes and girls will be sold for something to drink.

Application:

This past week we have had the opportunity to meet and talk with many others within the Christian world who are working and engaging in the issue of human sex trafficking.  Isn't it amazing that this prophecy from Joel so accurately describes the things that we would be seeing in our world today?  We began the "Bottle Aid" campaign just a few months ago -- a campaign to raise awareness to the fact that little girls are being sold for a bottle of Pepsi or Fanta.  How prophetic!  But in the center of the mix we find God's holy people who are called to step into the world and to make a difference.  We can no longer stand by and watch what is happening but instead we have to get involved and engaged in the issues. 

We are blessed to have the opportunity to be filled with God's Holy Spirit.  The question is what will we do with that blessing?  We are filled with the Holy Spirit so that we are transformed into the likeness of Jesus Christ.  What would Jesus do if he saw little boys being sold into prostitution and little girls being sold for a bottle of pop?  I'm guessing he'd be even more angry than he was the day he found the men selling at the temple in Jerusalem.  Shouldn't that be our response as well?  Shouldn't we be appalled at what we see happening in our world and then pray that we respond the way in which God would want us to respond?

We do not have the gift of the Holy Spirit to keep it to ourselves.  The gift of the Holy Spirit is to flow through us to a very needy world and so that they can experience the touch of Jesus in a way they never have before.  Joel prophesied about these days -- we are living in them now -- will we respond as God's holy Spirit-filled children?

Prayer:

Lord, please help me to engage in this world in the way you would desire.  Amen.

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