and destroyed
August 23, 2011 (Tuesday)
Las Vegas is well known for having destroyed buildings to replace them with bigger and better ones. Now one has been built that will probably be destroyed before it is even used at all. Construction problems have rendered it unsafe and too expensive to repair, although some authorities involved in the project insist the problems can be fixed. So the issue has gone to the courts to let them decide. This is no small issue; the building is 26 stories high.
I’ve been amazed that in Las Vegas in recent years what looked like perfectly good buildings have been leveled, to make way for brand new ones. But such projects are possible because mountains of money flow through the desert city.
The idea of destroying a 26-story tower that has never been used is a new one.
Reminds me of the parable of the talents (Matthew 25). You probably remember the story of the three employees who were given money by their boss to invest in his behalf. He took a long trip and eventually returned and called the people to give accounting of their investments. Two of them doubled the money with good investments. One of them, however, returned the money exactly as it had been given to him, without any return on an investment. The bossman was furious with his irresponsible employee.
The lesson is clear. Each of us is accountable to God to act responsibly. God has invested himself in us, giving us skills and talents that he wants us to invest for him simply by using them in his service and in the service of our fellow human beings. Many people, however, come to the end of their days never having used those gifts. Like the glittering tall building in Las Vegas, their lives may come to a close without their knowing the meaning of their existence.
If you have seen pictures of the new hotel, you probably know how beautiful it is. But, unless something changes, it will be remembered as having been created for a purpose that was never realized. Beautiful, but useless. Like the man in the parable who returned what was entrusted to him without ever using it. His supervisor called him wicked and lazy and fired him on the spot. There was no doubt that Jesus used that story to remind me that I am accountable to God for my life.
If the hotel is imploded and you happen to see it on T.V., please think about what I have said today. I’ve only repeated what Jesus said in Matthew 25.