We sometimes forget that life for the vast majority of people on this planet is hard—very hard. In my travels across the world, I have seen terrible poverty, and the Bible says that God has a special concern for those who struggle just to survive one more day.

Why do some people have so little while others have so much? I honestly don’t have an answer to that question—not fully. But what I do know is that possessions and wealth can become a barrier between us and God—and nothing could be more serious.

After all, who is really richer: a wealthy person who cares nothing for God, or a poor person who loves God and walks with Christ every day? Jesus told us to beware of “the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things (that) come in and choke the word (of God)” (Mark 4:19). The Bible also warns us against envy and greed.

It’s not necessarily wrong to want to better ourselves, of course—as long as we don’t let things take the place of God. The key is to put Christ first in our lives, and to trust Him for everything we need. The Bible says, “Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you'” (Hebrews 13:5). Is Christ first in your life?