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Today’s Reading: Joel 2

28 Then afterward I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on the male and female slaves in those days I will pour out my spirit.
Joel 2:28-29

Today, a lesser known prophet proclaims a radical equality. 

The ancients understood God’s Spirit to rest in the Temple, either primary or entirely. To go to the Temple in Jerusalem then was to visit God. This is why only certain priests on particular days could go into the Holy of Holies. God dwelled there! 

This is a radical notion, indeed, from the prophet Joel. It’s echoed in other places across the Old Testament. The idea that God dwells within people, rather than at the Temple (or the Ark of the Covenant before that) was very radical. When Paul says that our bodies are temples in 1 Corinthians 6, he’s speaking literally: we have become temples, like the Temple of old, because God’s Spirit dwells within us. That’s a common concept for us Christians today, but a radical idea in both Paul and Joel’s times. 

Then, there’s one more radical concept here: equality. Notice in verse 29 Joel says that “even…the male and female slaves” will receive God’s Spirit. The young and old, men and women, high and low ranking, will all receive God’s Spirit equally. And in receiving it equally, all stand equally before God. In cultures that like to stratify peoples, both theirs and ours, this is a radical concept, indeed!

Think
Who in your life might you regard as not equal to yourself? Bring that person to mind.

Pray
Bring the needs of that person before God, asking for blessings upon them. 

Do
As you move through your day, pay attention to how you see others. Do you see them as a fellow bearer of God’s Spirit, or somehow stratify them into a category? 

Think, Pray, Do. As we respond in faith to scripture, God moves in power through our minds, hearts, and bodies. We are the people of God. Thanks for reading today. Go in peace. Amen.

Think, Pray, Do devotionals by Ted Goshorn follow the suggested bible reading plan from his website and book, Prayer Changes Us. Find this Bible reading plan at tedgoshorn.org/biblereading. If you have found today’s devotion helpful, don’t forget to subscribe for daily emails at tedgoshorn.org and share with others that we may think, pray, and do faithfully.