This verse reminds us:
For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.
It's from John's first letter, chapter 2 and verse 16. It is a universal compendium of the nature of sin.
One of the things it reminds me of is a good friend Nozi, from Melbourne University days, who was blind. She was told by some theologically charismatic loonie from her home country of Zimbabwe that if she had enough faith she would be healed of her blindness (She was born blind because she was many months premature). But she had very great faith, and one avenue of sin that had been closed off to her, in the providence of God, was 'the desire of the eyes'.
I don't say it was good that she was born blind. Who would? In heaven she will see truth, and her Saviour Jesus, with perfect sight. But she couldn't care less about many of the things that seduce the rest of us.
