What are the spiritual challenges of getting materially rich?

Hi, Just for starters my mom always says, "It's easier for a poor man to get to heaven than a rich one". I didn't get it at first but kept thinking and came up with these ideas:

1. A lot of times (but NOT EVERY) some people have gotten rich by "stepping-on-people on the way up", by taking advantage, by being greedy, some inherit it (not sure how many of this type of "rich" people, I could say would be willing to spend an hour with. i.e. Paris H. :o) I'm not sure how many rich people bring their kids up the "right" not "spoiled" way! I'm sure there are some!) but even if it was just hard work the got them rich, how much of that hard work did they have to do to get there? And while they were doing that hard work, did they miss out watching their kids grow, miss time being with their spouse, the person they should care most about and be sure to take the time to have built a "life" with, not just a "livelyhood".

2. Another thought is that: EVEN IF you get rich the RIGHT WAY, UNLESS you PUT SOME of it to GOOD use (ie helping animals, people, churches etc. you know trying to do some good with it, by sharing, cuz come one how much money does 1 person or family REALLY need????) You will become someone who think everyone is after them for a handout, paranoid someone may steal it, or just become lost in their little world they start valuing other people, BY "HOW MUCH" do they have, are they in the same class with me? (Values and morals CAN change).

3. My final idea on this is: A poor man usually is a poor man, a lot of the time because either, money is not the main goal or value of his life AND/OR he SOMETIMES DOES have material things, WILL HAVE them again but DOESN'T AT THE MOMENT, BECAUSE MAYBE HE GAVE TO "IT" TO SOME WHO NEED IT MORE AND HE WAS TRYING TO HELP. BECAUSE HE CARED MORE ABOUT "CARING" THAN "RECEIVING". (Sorry it's so long.)

most research into happiness and wealth has found that increases in wealth does increase happiness, but only a little. There isn't a huge diffrence in overall happiness between a righ person and a middle class person.

Now if you are in poverty it is a serious issue, and that can effect you in a many ways.

As far as the spiritual challenges, wealth can sometimes destract you from your spiritual path, esspecially in the materialistic modern society.

Why work on being a better person when you have so many toys to play with and drugs you can take?

So I would argue as long as you are not in abject poverty the best path is the middle path of not being poor, but having enough to provide for your own needs and your families needs. That way you arn't ditracted from your spirituality by materialistic goods.

There is such a thing as too much of a good thing. We all dream of being finacially stable - but do not become greedy. I feel that God does not want us to live in poverty. Sometimes he does not answer our prayers for great wealth because we have not show ourselves fruitfull in the riches that he has given us thus-far. How are we to do good things for humanity with great riches, when we will not offer our pocket change to help feed the hungry now? We must develop a caring and giving attitude now before we can be trusted with great riches later.

Money is supposed to make life easy, but in reality it does just the opposite. It takes someone with stong morals, and an even stronger sense of self to handle themselves after a life changing event like "falling" into money. Unfortunately now days there is less and less emphises on essential building blocks like being morally sound, having a set of ideals, and a strong sense of self, so when people do find themselves in a situation like winning the lottery they have to try to balance their newfound issues on building blocks that were never properly put in place.

I like to think that if I won the lottery or came into a large sum of money I would do a few things. 1) I'd give a large sum to my community including my religious community 2) I'd make sure my family was long term comfortable 3) I'd make sure I was long term comfortable, although I'd still work as I couldn't imagine spending days on end not working 4) I'd get some fun new things and invest the rest.

That was a good question, thanks!

It holds particular magnitude in countless areas. Biblically, that is a demonstration of finality or very final judgement, the brilliant conflict between good and evil. This became by way of fact 9 became the final of the digits 0-9. i've got additionally heard it called the variety of each little thing by way of numbers 2, 3, and four that upload as much as 9 represented "each little thing" interior the typical worldwide in early Christian eras. The variety 2 became stated to characterize heaven and earth and/or the sole even top variety. 3 represented the trinity, and four represented the 4 corners of the worldwide. In numerology, that's the sign of the organic humanitarian. 9 is seen by potential of a few cultures to be the variety crowning glory. that is a fortunate variety to 3 and unlucky to others consistent with what 9 sounds such as in a particular language. there's a set extra, yet it is all i can think of of this previous due. :)

The challenge is not being attached to the material wealth. The soul does not care whether it resides in a body that is rich or poor, healthy or sick, smart or dumb. It only wants to be with God in a loving relationship. Someone who is rich often ignores the soul, being so attached to wealth. But it is not only a challenge of the rich. This is everybody's challenge.....not to be attached to the material and temporary things of the world. Instead these materials ought to be used in the service of the soul, of God, and of fellow man. (which are all the same. I don't mean that soul, God, and man are all the same entity, but that what serves God serves the other 2.)

Sometimes making money is a way of escaping problems. If you have a relationship problem you just use your money to fix it. Of course your life becomes more shallow and your relationships more artificial. Your God in the end will be money and you will fear death, becuase if you die where will your money go?

How fast can you say the seven deadly? Here we go!

Pride- "I won the big one."

Envy- " I deserve to win ."

Greed- " I want more money."

Lust- " I wish I had the money, Bill Gates has."

Wrath- " If you don't do what I say, you'll not get a dime

of my money, I'll disinherit you, and you'll be penniless!

Greed- " I want to make more money"

Sloth- I don't want to go to work, that's what they get paid

to do."

Bottom line, lots of money has tendencies to make people stupid. Like the song goes, "I don't care too much for money, cos money can't buy me love"

Read your bible, It'll tell you everything you need too know about life, right?

power corrupts