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In the consumer world that we currently live, we are taught that we should always want more, more, more. We can never possess enough, as evidenced by the wealthiest among us. When is it too much? At what point does all of what a person has achieved, gained, and even created actually take away from their status in God’s eyes? If I lost everything, how would I behave? If you took away everything I had done and owned, what would be left?This passage in Peter discusses the questions that I just posited. Christ mentions it several times: the measure of a person may not be in what they have, but what they are able to live without. As Jesus explains, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me" (Matthew 19:21).In these verses, we are asked to consider what would happen when all things are dissolved, when all but our body and soul remains. In that moment, how comfortable would we be? Who would be willing to thank the Lord for all that He has given to us when everything has just been taken away? This verse is not condemning a person for owning things, but it is an intellectual challenge to Christians; look inside, with everything stripped away. How would we view ourselves and how would the Lord view us?Prayer:My Father, who art in heaven, I am honored and humbled to even stand in front of you, your humble servant, stripped of all in this worldly life, ready to do what you ask. I know that I have sinned Lord, but I shall work until my soul is pure and worthy of your paradise. Aid me, Abba Father, to trust in your word as the only everlasting truth into the beyond. I ask this in your holy name, Amen.