Repairing the Damage
I love Manasseh's story of redemption! His simple act of seeking the Lord brought him back into relationship with God.
But notice that he didn't just go back to business as usual, when he received God's forgiveness. He changed. And crucially, he repaired the damage that he had done before his conversion. We read: "Afterwards he rebuilt the outer wall of the City of David, west of the Gihon spring in the valley, as far as the entrance of the Fish Gate and encircling the hill of Ophel; he also made it much higher. He stationed military commanders in all the fortified cities in Judah. He got rid of the foreign gods and removed the image from the temple of the LORD, as well as all the altars he had built on the temple hill and in Jerusalem; and he threw them out of the city. Then he restored the altar of the LORD and sacrificed fellowship offerings and thank offerings on it, and told Judah to serve the LORD, the God of Israel." (2 Chronicles 33:14-16)
The Proof is in the Fruit
There's an old saying that says "the proof of the pudding is in the eating". In other words, no matter how nice a pudding looks, it's only when you eat it that you know if it was well made or not! Christianity has a similar principle - Jesus said "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognise them." (Matthew 7:18-20). Your fruit shows whether or not you have truly been redeemed.
Remember, redemption is about more than forgiveness. It's about being redeemed from a way of life that is far from God. Some people mistakenly think that the whole message of the Bible is “God loves you”. Now, to be sure, this is the main message of the Bible, but it has implications! It means that God loves you enough to take you out of the darkness and bring you into the light, if you will receive Him.
Removing Evil and Pursuing Good
Manasseh was redeemed - not just because he received the forgiveness of God for his sins, but because he left his sinful ways behind and did all he could to repair the damage he had done before. He put measures in place to ensure that the faith of his people was protected. He began doing the religious things required of God's people in that era. He got rid of the old godless things that had tripped him up before.
Let me ask you, are you 'rebuilding the wall', so to speak, of your life now that you have received forgiveness? Are you removing the godless things and putting guards in place and doing the things godly people do to live the Christian life?
The fruit Jesus requires of you is both a removing of evil and godless things, and a pursuing of good and godly things.
Learn from Manasseh today. He didn't just get forgiveness and keep on doing what he was doing. He repaired his life by moulding it in God's ways.
May we do the same!
