I am sitting in the Las Vegas airport, waiting for my flight back to Orange County. My dad was on business out here, so my brothers and I flew out yesterday morning to spend the last day with him. We just relaxed by the pool, ate great food, and saw Spamalot! The Musical. The show was hilarious! Even though we had a good time, I could not help but notice the emptiness that was so apparent everywhere I looked: from billboards to hotel facades, casinos to the massive Barry Manilow picture on the side of the hotel that flashed his fake smile over the city. The cries of emptiness and pain were evident amidst the glitter and lights.
This reminded me not only of the pain and brokenness of the world, but also of how we, as Christians, can fall into the same trap of fake lives, building facades so that we look "Christian" on the outside. We can do all the right things, say all the right words, and pray all the right prayers.
Jesus addresses this in Matthew 23:27-28. In talking to the Pharisees and religious leaders, he says, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness."
These were the words in my mind as I walked down the Las Vegas strip. These are the words I hear when I notice that I have fallen into Pharisaical living--"righteous" on the outside, but an unclean heart on the inside.
I hope and pray that we all seek authenticity in how we live. I don't mean to give an exhortation to act rude, mean, and cold if that is what we are on the inside. Rather, let us have a sober mind about how we act as Christians: talk to God about your heart condition, ask others to pray for you, and seek the transformation of your heart. The Holy Spirit will change us from the inside out.
May our hearts be the focus, not the outward appearance, for the Bible says, "As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man." (Proverbs 27:19) God is concerned with our heart, not the glitz and glam of our outward appearance, no matter how bright and attractive it may be.
1 comment:
Josh, I know exactly what you mean. I was in Vegas twice this past month and I left the city feeling so saddened. It's a reminder of the evil we're capable of when with the absence of God. I find it rather frightening.
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