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{The Application
Application for the Godly
Four General Directions for a Conclusion of the Whole
Be Fruitful}
Soil is considered fruitful that brings forth good fruit and that brings forth much fruit. I have already directed you how to bring forth good fruit [Good Works, Holy Duties, and Put Yourselves in an Upright Condition]. Now let me press you to see to it that your fruit does abound. “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58 NKJV). “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere” (James 3:17 ESV). “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples” (John 15:8 NASB). “For just as you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification” (Romans 6:19 NASB). You have been servants of sin. Now be servants of righteousness, and be as free, eager, and fruitful in the service of righteousness as you were in the service of sin. You have added sin to sin, unrighteousness to uncleanness, iniquity to iniquity. As sin once abounded and multiplied its fruit, so now let grace also abound and bring forth its fruit abundantly.
Let your lives be as much filled up with the works of righteousness, mercy, and holiness as they had been with the works of the flesh. Brethren, in time past, a little sin, a little gambling, a little pleasure was not enough for you. You thought you could never have enough of the world and the lusts and vanities of it. So! Now prove yourselves to be as heartily the servants of Christ as you ever were the servants of sin by being as fruitfully His as ever you were fruitful in sin. If Christ is a better master and a better pay-master, let Him have more and more cheerful services. Bring forth good fruit and fruit of all kinds. As it is said of the Tree of Life that stands in the heavenly City of God (Revelation 22:2), so let it be said of every living tree that stands in the vineyard of God here below that they bring forth twelve kinds of fruit, that is, all manner of fruit. Be fruitful in every good work and bring forth fruit for every season. There is summer fruit and winter fruit that God expects from you. By summer fruit I mean those that are most appropriate for the days of your prosperity, such as thankfulness, watchfulness, fear, humility, self-denial, mercy, compassion, and so on. Your winter fruit is that for which God looks in the days of your afflictions: fasting, repentance, mortification of sin, humiliation, submission to God and His providence, patience, and so on. Brethren, be not only good summer servants, but winter servants also. And whenever it is winter with you, stick close to your winter work—be much in the exercises of repentance, godly sorrow, patience, and so on. Let the persecuting world see that godliness will not only live, but also flourish in the hardest winter. The truth is, there is no such flourishing time for the saints as the time of trouble. God’s trees do usually bear best in winter. The winter frosts do ordinarily bring forth and ripen their fruit better than the summer’s warmth. At least, the hard winter prepares for a fruitful summer. Beloved, is it winter with any of you? Do not lose this fructifying365 season. To your work. To your work. Let your work keep you warm instead of the fire. Do not let the cold winds and storms chill and freeze your spirits and thus kill your fruit. Let a fire be kindled and kept alive inside of you, the fire of love and zeal. Let your inward warmth cherish and ripen your fruit and supply the lack of outward comforts and encouragements. Either be bringing forth fruit or preparing for fruit. Do not let the plow stand still; let the earth be tilled and the seed sown. If it is the day of your tears, sow in tears. It is productive sowing in such a rainy day, and such a seed time will bring forth a comfortable harvest.
365fructify: make fruitful, render productive.
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