Twin Fruit

So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. Exodus 2:25 NIV

The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. Exodus 3:7 NIV

So the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed low and worshiped. 4:31 NASB

Planning for an upcoming retreat, I ran across the word concern throughout the story of Moses.  The verb (paqad-cared enough to visit) intrigued me. After a rather lengthy search on the topic, leading me to the fruit of the Spirit, I am learning kindness and goodness can't be easily separated. 

You just can't have kindness (chrestotes -tender concern) without goodness (agathousune-uprightness of heart and life.)

Kindness is a tender(concerned) heart that naturally leads to goodness: kindness in action. 

Pretty heavy stuff when you think about it. If we are following the heart of God, we can't have passive concern. We act upon it. 

It's a lot more than manners; it's a matter of the heart.

Throughout Scripture, God repeats his deep concern for the heart of man: the spirit, the attitude, the motivation behind our actions. David writes that 'God searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts.' (1 Chronicles 28:9)

So what is the state of my heart as I prepare for Easter?

What heart condition has God found in me that needs repair and remorse? Does He find delight in a heart in sync with His?  During this Lenten season, what kind of heart would you ask Him to create in you? A tender or pure heart...a giving or even, forgiving one?

Did you catch create in you in the last paragraph?  This whole twin fruit kind of living is a supernatural thing; we cannot attain it on our own. Paul testifies, "but it is Christ who lives in me." Galatians 2:20  As with all of the fruits of the Spirit, we must be filled so we can be emptied. The character of Christ flowing from us...Did you know generosity is a huge outpouring of these two fruits? Without Christ living in us, how quickly do our open hands fold into tightly clinched fists? Without a constant filling of the Spirit, our heart grows stingy.

Will you join me in asking the Lord to fill us with tender concern for others as we approach Passover and Holy Easter Week?

Surely goodness and loving kindness shall follow me all the days of my life...Psalm 23:6 KJV