A pattern for reformation

Do you ever wonder what to model your heart after? The scripture that I am going to share with you is a great passage that we can model our hearts after. Before today, I was completely unaware of this passage and in the message at church today it was brought up and I could not help but share about it. 

Every single day we need personal reformation. A reformation is defined as the action of reforming your mind and heart. In order to do that, we need to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice to Jesus Christ. Every part of us, not just little pieces. 

Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads. And the Israelites separated themselves from all foreigners and staff and confessed their sins and the iniquities of their fathers. And they stood up in their place and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day; for another quarter of it they made confession and worshipped the Lord their God. (Nehemiah 9:1-3) 

Here are the steps that they took.

1. humility

2. repentance

3. confession

Now the people of Israel humbled themselves through fasting. Then they separated themselves, repented and then confessed their sins. After they confessed their sins they read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of a day. And we thought church was long, imagine reading the bible for a quarter of the day and then for another quarter confessing and worshipping the Lord their God. 

I know I will get more in depth about the reformation in another post. I just wanted to quickly show you the three steps that we need to the in order to form a great pattern for reformation. These three steps are crucial and I hope you take them to heart.