2 May | Teens

REVIVAL AND REFORMATION

«Then I commanded, and they cleansed the chambers: and thither brought I again the vessels of the house of God, with the meat offering and the frankincense.» Nehemiah 13: 9

Have you ever done a “general cleaning” of your home? A cleaning like this is when we decide to clean and organize everything, even those little corners that we almost never remember. In Nehemiah 13, we see something similar, but much deeper and more important: a true revival and reformation among the people of Israel.

Nehemiah, on returning to Jerusalem, found that many things had gone off the right path since he had left. Things were kind of “dirty” among the people of Israel. What did he do? He didn’t waste any time! He did a great spiritual cleansing. He reorganized the temple, reestablished God's laws and ensured that the people would once again live according to biblical and divine principles. It was a radical change that brought back joy, order and God's blessing to the people. Everything was “clean” again!

This chapter shows us that seeking revival and reformation is very important. Revival is like opening the windows to let the sun and fresh air in, renewing the room. From time to time, we need to rekindle our faith. And reform is like the cleaning that we talked about today, where we get rid of everything that is not necessary or that harms us, and organize our life in a way that is more pleasing to God.

Take Action

Clean up your room, getting rid of everything you no longer need. While you're at it, think about the areas of your life that also need a “cleanup.” Maybe it's a bad habit, bad thoughts, or anything that takes you away from God. Remember, cleaning the outside is good, but cleaning our insides is transformative!