We don't need any more.

Mankind is sinful. And if you doubt that statement, you can easily look around at the world to see how crooked and wretched our human hearts can be.No doubt, our hearts can easily be bent towards sin. It really doesn't take much convincing.Coveting. Slandering. Lusting. Manipulating. Cheating. Selfishness. Laziness.My heart is no different.Although I've been given new life through the Lord, my sinful nature still pulls me towards the world, persuading me to give in to the temptation of it all. And truth be told, it's a constant battle to fight against such a powerful force.One of the biggest lies that we've been sold as a culture is the idea that (quit simply) we need more things.More money.More bedrooms in our home.More luxurious clothing.More pairs of shoes.More food.More insurance.More toys.More vacation time.More rest.More of it ALL.And why, you ask? Because as the commercials so unapologetically state: "we deserve it".Well, this is awkward to say... but NO. We don't deserve it. We don't deserve any of it.If I got what I deserved, I'd be bound for hell. And I mean that. I know my heart and I know it's state. It's always fighting to be selfish and misleading. It wants to put others down and build myself up. It wants glory. It wants whatever it is that "they have". It wants to be lazy. It wants to lust after the luxuries of the world . It wants things to be easier on it and harder on everyone else. It's twisted. Self-seeking. Selfish. Ugly. Bitter. Resentful. Unforgiving.And that's just the start.I fear, my friends, that we've been misguided when we're told to "listen to our hearts". In fact, I think that's some of the worst advice to give another. Lord have mercy on my soul as soon as I start listening to my heart. That ain't a place any woman of God belongs.When we look to God for wisdom and discernment we can be satisfied. God is not lazy. Or twisted. Or selfish. Or ugly. Or bitter. Or unforgiving. His heart is the opposite of mine - it is perfectly righteous and good.THAT is where we must look.Satisfaction in this life will not come from more of anything - except for more of a relationship with Jesus. Our perfect Prophet, Priest, and King.Do you think you could say, right now, that you're satisfied with what the Lord has laid out for you?I know it's not easy. While we struggled painfully through the financial difficulties we faced last year, I often thought how if we just had a "little more", we'd be fine. Instead of trusting in God's sovereignty and control, I fought the hardship. At first, I wasn't willing to bend to the situation and yield to the lessons being taught through the pain. My sinful temptation was to covet those who had more than we did. But the beauty of the Lord's work is that each of our stories are different and each of them are good - even though we are not.And despite my best efforts, I know that I will continually long for more of everything. But nothing on this earth will cure the craving in our souls to feel complete satisfaction.Because satisfaction doesn't live in more money.Or a marriage.Or a farm.Or even a dairy cow.It lives in knowing that our sinful nature is continually dying and our new life in Christ is blooming. It lives in knowing that God himself came down from Heaven in the form of a man, who lived and died a servant to the lost, ugly, selfish, forsaken, widowed, self-seeking, abandoned, sick, and homeless. Christ has been found righteous by a just and holy God so that I don't have to be - because I can't be.Christ righteousness and goodness has been given to me. A sinner.AND PRAISE GOD.