A Heart With No Defect

It's been a while since I've blogged.  Life gets busy and I forget to do it, I suppose.  Well, it has been a growing new year for me!  I began reading through a one-year Bible.  Right now I'm in Leviticus in the Old Testament.  There are many rules and guidelines (many of which were set up for sanitary reasons) that encompass this particular book.  Many have to do with the sacrifices given to God.  It makes me very thankful for what Jesus did on the cross.  No longer are we held to the same rules.  Jesus was the final and ultimate sacrifice! We're free from the old law!  Yeah!  :)   

Once again I prayed this morning that my heart would be soft and receive whatever God wanted to show me.  He gave me a neat picture as I read, once again, about what the is an acceptable sacrifice to the Lord.  It must be a male animal with no defects.  That's the gist of it anyway.  We don't sacrifice animals now because we have Jesus, but as I read "with no defects" it pricked something in my heart.  We give sacrifices to the Lord all the time.... our time, our money, our resources, our gifts.... but what is the status of our heart when we give these gifts?

Psalm 51:16 p- 17 "You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.  My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise." 

Mark 12:33 "To love him with all you heart, all your your understanding, and all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices."

Does my heart have no defect?  I'm NOT talking about being sinless.  When we give to the Lord it should be out of joy!  Not because "we're supposed to".  What is my motivation for giving?  Is it because my heart overflows with love for this amazing God - the Creator of Heaven and Earth, the great I Am - and I can think of no other thing I'd rather do than serve Him?  There should be no condemnation or guilt trip pushing us to give and serve.  

2 Corinthians 9:7  "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

I want a heart that has no defect.  God poured out everything for me in love.  Can I do any less?