Shaking Christchurch (7) - Complacency

In the longer term, this earthquake might produce complacency amongst God’s people. We have just come through a serious financial crisis in quite good shape. Most Christians heaved a sigh of relief and thought:

If this is the worst depression
since the 1930s,
its not too bad
I can cope.
Things are tight,
but I am alright.

In a couple of years, the impact of the earthquake will be mostly gone. The streets will be restored and houses repaired. Condemned houses will be gone and the owners in new homes. The worst affected will still feel the pain, but most people will have returned to life as usual. The economy might even have had a bit of boost from the inflow of insurance settlements.

Many Christians will heave a sigh of relief and think,

I have come through the worst earthquake
since the one that struck Napier in 1931.
It was scary,
but we survived.
We can cope with anything
that life throws at us.

Having survived the worst economic depression and earthquake in eighty years, Christians could easily fall into a risky complacency about the future.

This is not the time to be complacent. God is trying to get his people prepared in advance. He is trying to build a spiritual army of hard-core Christians, who can work together with the Holy Spirit to release his kingdom on earth. It would be sad if our experience during the earthquake lulled us into believing that things will be fine, if we carry on as we are.