The Lust of the Eye

My career began with work as an interior designer in West Hollywood at the Pacific Design Center, this big blue whale of an architectural wonder that was later joined by three other magnificent buildings in vibrant jewel tones of emerald and ruby.

That was where their treasure was, and that was the god that they served, and it could offer as rewards, public acclaim, prestigious awards, and burgeoning bank accounts, to the successful devotees.

But as a child of God, though I loved the design field and all the beautiful things, I realized that these things were not “reality.” They were just earthly things and would not endure. I could not be satisfied with earthly treasure, once God had opened my eyes to what He was offering.

The Lust of the Flesh

My next work experience was as a real estate agent in the San Fernando Valley, selling residential properties in this upscale neighborhood. The mantra of the agency was to be found in Napoleon Hill’s pop-psychology book, Think and Grow Rich, and though I understood that some of the ideas about “positive thinking” were sound biblical principles, there was a problem. It seemed the motivating force behind their service to the public was a big dose of covetousness.

It was the “think it and own it” mentality (also employed by religious charlatans to con the foolish) that drove sales. And agents were whipped into a lather by inspirational speakers and encouraged to post pictures of the things they wanted most: the prestigious home in a trendy neighborhood, the luxurious automobile, the designer clothing…whatever the heart desired. But as a child of God this was a problem!

The Pride of Life

Now God does want us to work diligently, and we are to serve others using our talents and growing those talents, but there is a danger in focusing on what we can accomplish, instead of the transformation that God is working in us and others. God wants fruits, but His fruits, the fruits that will last.

The treasure we have is God’s Spirit that changes the way we think and feel and act, so that we will conform to His nature and produce His fruits. The pride of life interferes with this growth process, because it makes us think that our treasure is what we can achieve, albeit, as a Christian, with God’s help.

Often the focus in our society is on career success and the acclaim that it brings, and this was a problem for me. In my first eight years of marriage I was childless and my husband was busily engaged in his career, so it would have been easy to let work and career become my life, my treasure, the thing I valued most. God’s template, however, for womanly success is not the image of the career woman, or the celebrity, or the political leader.

The godly woman’s treasure is her relationship with God that gives her the wisdom to be an effective wife, mother, and community leader. Described in Proverbs 31, the eshet hayil, the woman of valor, is a noble example of honor and service to her husband, children, and community.

The world tries to motivate us with illusory hopes of fortune or fame: Nobel prizes, political position, burgeoning bank accounts, or the toys of the wealthy. But God gives us a hope to treasure, an eternity of happiness in His family. It is the godly riches of justice, mercy, and faith that we treasure, that motivates us and gives us strength and courage to face each new day and will eventually make our hope a reality.

Christ’s advice was to store up treasure in heaven, not on earth. God’s treasure is permanent, lasting, and will never vanish. John adds to Christ’s admonition when he warns us:

“You must have no love for the world or for anything in the world. And indeed, if anyone loves the world, he cannot but be a stranger to the love which is found in the Father, since whatever has its home in the world, whether it be the appetites deriving from our carnal nature, or the lustful eye, or pride in one’s possessions, has an existence the origin of which is to be traced not to the Father but to this present world. And as for the world, it is passing away, and all the desires bound up with it. But he who carries out the will of God continues the same for ever and ever” (1 John 2:15-17, Cassirer).

If our heart’s desire is to search and take hold of God’s riches of wisdom and love, then we will not be in danger of succumbing to the covetousness, the burning desire for material goods, wealth, or recognition, which is woven so tightly into our Western society. The personal warning is there from Christ’s lips to remind us to keep on our guard and remember our priorities so that we will be light bringers doing God’s will and not just another shadow in the darkness.