Devotional: Praying Mantis Reactions

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I looked out the kitchen window and saw very large insect on the fence and our dog, D.J. was terrorizing it.  Upon investigation, I discovered it was a large Praying Mantis that was injured.  Half it's right arm was missing at the elbow.  I don't know if our dog did it or if it was already that way.

I decided to see if I could move him to higher ground so our dog wouldn't be tempted to finish him off.  He seemed in good shape otherwise.  I picked up a long stick and offered it to the Praying Mantis to climb onto so I could put him up in a high bush.  But the Praying Mantis took offense to my offer.  He reared back, flared out his wings and began hissing at me.  It took some persuasion to convince him to get on the stick so I could move him to higher ground.  He didn't understand that I was actually trying to help and not a threat.

People are often like that when you tell them the Good News of the Gospel from the Bible.  You hold out the Gospel "stick" for them to climb on board to safety, but they take offense and rear up to attack it.  They take offense on two points.  They don't want to be told they are sinners and they don't want to be told that God has reserved Hell and death for those who reject His Son Jesus Christ and His substitutionary death on the cross for their sins.  No, they want to believe they are good people that can earn merit with God toward their place in heaven and that God is all love and is incapable of wrath against sinners.

It would be easy for us to feel that we have failed when this happens in response to our efforts to share the Gospel with others.  But we must remember, that God is the one in charge of salvation.  Unless He draws that person to Himself, they will not come.  So our job is simply to share it with those who are unsaved in hopes that God will be pleased to draw them to Himself.  We can not fail in our mission if we are doing what God commanded. "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel..."  Saving people is not our job, that is God's job. Telling people how to be saved is our job. 

When you tell them how to be saved, they may rear up in attack mode like the Praying Mantis, but take heart, you have done what God commanded you to do. You have not failed in your mission and God may be pleased to use what you shared to draw them to Himself.