“When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth.” Psalm 104:30

The Holy Spirit is God’s generative Spirit of Love. God creates through His Holy Spirit. God inspires through His Holy Spirit and God restores and transforms His creatures through the infinite power of His Holy Spirit.

We are living in a time in history where our need for transformation has perhaps never been greater.

According to an Oxfam report, “eighty two percent of the wealth generated last year went to the richest one percent of the global population, while the 3.7 billion people who make up the poorest half of the world saw no increase in their wealth. Oxfam’s report outlines the key factors driving up rewards for shareholders and corporate bosses at the expense of workers’ pay and conditions. These include the erosion of workers’ rights; the excessive influence of big business over government policy-making; and the relentless corporate drive to minimize costs in order to maximize returns to shareholders.”

Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International said: “The billionaire boom is not a sign of a thriving economy but a symptom of a failing economic system. The people who make our clothes, assemble our phones and grow our food are being exploited to ensure a steady supply of cheap goods, and swell the profits of corporations and billionaire investors.” Source: Oxfam.org; 22 January 2018

The Lord hears the cries of the poor and is counting on us to work with Him to change their plight.

The Holy Spirit helps us to imagine a better future…so imagine with me.

You are shopping for clothes and you check the label on the garment. You see not just a price tag but a ‘Corporate ‘Good Business’ Seal. The ‘Good Business’ Seal goes to businesses that do not exploit people to produce their products.

What’s stopping us from creating a global rating system for manufacturers of products that assesses the degree to which they are working to end poverty and provide safe working conditions and a global minimum wage that does not discriminate based on gender.

What’s stopping us?

Nothing but us!

I believe we need a ‘Corporate Rating System’ that will differentiate businesses based on their ethics. That would allow us to put our money and loyalty behind the right corporations. We could create a volunteer rating system where companies that want to distinguish themselves in the public eye could participate in. This would subject them to some scrutiny and many companies would participate if they could increase their market share by obtaining the ‘Good Company’ Seal of Approval.

Typically capitalists try to grow profits by reducing costs.

But there is another way to grow profits…and that way involves taking the poor out of poverty so they can become consumers and start participating in the economy.

When companies have more consumers buying their products and services revenues increase.

Imagine a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy that involves a little bit of every purchase transaction going into a fund to stimulate developing economies. That’s the equivalent to investing in the future, creating money for education and economic growth.  This grows the size of the global economic opportunity that companies can compete for.

We need God to help us to renew the face of the world and to improve our global condition.

We need all believers to pray for the Holy Spirit of God to help inspire us and engage us in new innovation that creates a better future for those that are suffering at the bottom of the economic pyramid.

We also need to stop and consider the serious threats to our world if we don’t focus on improving opportunities for all. There is a risk of violent extremism and war growing in places of extreme poverty and inequality.  There is also a great risk of ongoing illegal immigration.

Did you know that we have over 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24 and 90 per cent of them live in the developing world?

“There are more young people in the world than ever before, creating unprecedented potential for economic and social progress.  Too many of these young people see their potential hindered by extreme poverty, discrimination or lack of information. But with proper investment in their education and opportunities, these young people’s ideas, ideals and innovations could transform the future.” Steven Edwards for UNFPA

There is a very urgent need for the global community to rethink how we educate our young people. Reports from the OECD show marked differences in student performance across countries. We have yet to develop global standards for education to ensure that all children can achieve quality education.

The diagram below is the product of over a decade of envisioning better solutions for K-12 education.  This diagram depicts a digital vision for global education that could transform and equalize access to quality digital learning resources. I feel God has shown me this future and I credit Jesus for it.  What we need to do now is engage the right players and resources (political, technological, corporate, financial etc) to make this a reality.

Do you think the pirates of Somalia would be pirates if they had access to a quality education and good job opportunities?

It’s time for us to truly trust in God to show us a new way for the future.

Let’s unite to pray for the Holy Spirit to give us the roadmap to a new and better world.

I invite YOU to believe and trust in Jesus to send us His Holy Spirit so we can build hope in our world.

Every day at the Time Jesus died for us, 3pm, in our local time zones, we are stopping to remember the greatest love the world has ever known and will ever know, the love of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. At this time join Christians all over the world that are stopping to pray for Jesus to send us His Holy Spirit to renew the face of the earth.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:6

Jesus has a new roadmap for us to restore our futures as we answer the cries of the poor and create global prosperity. Let us listen to Him!

“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5