"Let us then, dear brethren, flee from the world and 'the things that are in the world'.  For what have we in common with the world and the men who are in the world?" ~St. Symeon from "The Discourses"

Spiritual development is always difficult in a material world.  It is made even more difficult if we are attached to and enamored of the physical world and the things in it.  That is why Jesus told the wealthy man that he had to give his money to the poor (besides the fact that is was standard procedure in an Essene community for each member to give their money to the community (the poor) to be used for the benefit of the community as a whole).  There is nothing wrong with having material property and comforts, within reason, but we must avoid becoming attached to them.  We have to recognize that those material objects will not be with us when we leave the material world, so putting too much effort into getting them and maintaining them is pointless.  Instead, we need to let go of those attachments, with the help of God, and attach ourself instead to the eternal which is spirit.

Note: Shortly after writing this article, I was reading some others blogs when I came across this story that is a great illustration of somebody who is way too attached to material things.  Two eight-year-old boys in Germany were picking dandelions on the side of the rode and throwing them on passing cars in an apparent gesture of friendship.  The owner of a Porsche didn't see it that way.  He got very angry at the little boys, jumped out of his car and grabbed them and drove the boys to a nearby police station where he probably expected them to get arrested for insulting his expensive car.  Instead, the Porsche driver was arrested for kidnapping the boys.