Sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, "Behold, I have come; in the scroll it is written of me. I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart." Psalm 40:4, 6-8

I've been spending the last few weeks reading through Leviticus. I can't say that I love reading about the ceremonial cleansing of leprous wounds and such, but it has given me a little bit better understanding of God's holiness. I am more aware than ever of God's purity, his unblemished nature. 

So when I read Psalm 40 in addition to the Levitical Law, I was excited to hear David's application of the Law in his life. He understood that God was not just after the lambs, pigeons, and grain that the Israelites sacrifice; He was after their hearts. 

I think what David understood about people was that they can look really good and spiritual on the outside. They can offer the right sacrifices...but their hearts were disgusting places full of greed and lusts. David understood God's holiness—that the appearance of man's holiness does not stand up against God's perfection—and that is why he needs to look at our hearts to see what is really going on. 

My prayer for 2010 has been that I would develop the same heartbeat of God. I want my heart to be after the things that God cares about. I want to be giving out of a sincere generosity, loving people because they are valuable creations of God, and sharing the Gospel with people because I see them as eternal beings. 

I also think that David understood that he was an essential part of God's plan. He says, "In the scroll it is written of me." The reality is that, though the Bible is already written, the story of it hasn't ended. We are waiting for Christ's return—the beautiful climax of the story that began with the fall. If you know Christ, you are a character of the story. 

When I believe that my life actually counts for the expansion of God's kingdom and I am a character in this story, my response is often David's: "I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart."