In Matthew 19, Jesus tell us how difficult it is for the rich man to enter the kingdom of God. Most of us don't think of ourselves as rich, at least not materially, but by the world's standards, many of us are spectacularly wealthy. We shouldn't pass by verses about the rich as if they don't apply to us.

God has confronted me with the fact that He's blessed me with so many resources, even if I don't feel especially wealthy. I imagine that this is how the rich man whom Jesus talked to felt: that he didn't feel especially rich, and that he had earned the wealth he had accumulated. Compared to all the tax collectors and other swindlers Jesus talked to, he probably felt that his justly-earned wealth was proof of his righteousness.

I think it's a mistake if we think of this passage as written for someone with more money than ourselves, or that this rich man only cared about money. He kept the commandments. He possibly earnestly sought salvation. He likely wasn't so different from us.

Through this passage, God has been working in my life to have me appreciate that everything belongs to him and that I need to put him first in everything, including how I allocate my finances.