I recently traveled to Vegas with Lime Biscuit for a promotional products expo. We landed, claimed our bags, and found a taxi. From that point on our eyes began to consume all that was around us. I’ve seen Vegas on TV a hundred times, but there’s something different about being there. The big screen doesn’t do the size of the city justice. After checking-in to our hotel, we ventured out to see where our expo was and explore the strip. What we saw over the days to come was all but normal for us.
From a bird’s eye view, Vegas is a pretty cool place. It’s a cool place to go and there are lots of good things to do there. But there’s a reason Vegas is referred to as Sin City. There were so many times that we felt like foreigners. Not like out of town “foreigners,” but like I-can’t-get-back-home-to-heaven-fast-enough foreigners. I have no doubt that people go to Vegas to gain the world and end up losing their souls. We talked to several people whose lives had been destroyed because of what Sin City offers. Don’t get me wrong, you can find sin anywhere; we encounter temptation every day. But I’ve never seen a place where sin is so openly celebrated. While my heart broke for the entire city, there were times my skin was crawling in disgust.
My goal in writing this is not to discourage you from visiting Vegas. Chances are, I’ll go back for another expo. I write this to point out that we are all broken people. We live in a fallen and sinful world that doesn’t hesitate when offered pleasure, no matter the cost. I saw so many dying people desperate for a savior. People are searching for fulfillment and love and their hoping to find it in sex, drugs, gambling, porn, money, power, fame, and comfort. In reality, they are pushing themselves further and further from the truth.
Sadly, this isn’t just a problem in Vegas. We become numb and blind to our own issues here. What have you become blind to in your own life? What are the desires of your heart? Do you find yourself looking to God for fulfillment or garbage that leaves you empty? Pray and think about that over the next week as we look forward to Sunday.
