Some friends of ours from Christchurch, NZ, have sent us their seemingly millionth email of the last 18 months entitled "we are ok!". We usually hear this before we are aware of an earthquake in their area...!
Interesting to read their accounts. The liquifaction (where the ground turns to liquid under pressure) sounds particularly terrifying. Fascinating from a gospel perspective to think of something so solid as the ground suddenly not being real for a few moments! So it got me thinking: what is real? And are we aware of eternal realities as we go about our daily business or do we look around us at the world and think it's all so solid that it's going to be there for ever, carrying on as it always has done. Because a mere earthquake can turn the ground to jelly. So imagine what's going to happen when God wraps up this damaged and wicked world and calls all people to account for the lives they have lived.
The school holidays have made my personal Bible reading times a bit sketchy (!) so I sometimes get a bit lazy in my thinking during this time. Life in our society is so comfortable and easy. Christmas is coming. Sure, it's all about Jesus, but actually all my time is going into planning and preparing the meal to end all meals for the day after tomorrow...
But I need to remember the bigger picture. We might not even make it to Christmas day. God might call an end to the world any time.
Our job as believers is to keep each other going until the last day of judgement. And also to call other people to turn from death to life, and to be rescued from God's anger by his wonderful kindness and generosity.
