messy love

I just read this......
"King Solomon and the entire assembly of Israel that had gathered about him were before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and cattle that they could not be recorded or counted."
What a crazy mess. I imagine that passage and see a crazy, wild, intense slaughter that was out of control messy. My first thoughts were very revealing to me of my heart. I thought, "why in the world would they do it like that? They could have done a certain amount of sacrifices and that would have been good. God knows the heart." Exactly that, God knows the heart. Sometimes I think of my giving a little as "well, God knows my heart and that I love Him or He knows that I care about others." People get upset when they read James, because he says people will know your faith by your deeds. No one is saying your deeds earn your place in heaven. Salvation comes by faith in Jesus and no other way. However, the people slaughtering like crazy, mad people knew the fear of God and the ark He was inhabiting. They remembered the story about the guy who dropped dead because he touched the ark. They remembered how they won battles when the presence of God was with them, and lost when He wasn't. Their hearts were wild with the fear and reverence for a Holy God. So, there were countless animals (think money and livelihoods) sacrificed before the ark. They had rules telling them how much and what to sacrifice for other events...but this time, they weren't going by the rules, they were pouring out the sacrifice with all they had.
Next time I think of spending my time, money, and love in a way that doesn't really put me out, I hope the phrase "well, God knows my heart" will in turn reveal my heart to me.