Their dark brown bodies littered the sand—the largest horseshoe crabs I had ever seen. The beach had become a mass graveyard for the odd creatures.

Why had so many crabs died? A bit of research soon led to the answer. This time of the year, the crabs leave the safety of the ocean and crawl up onto the sand to dig nests where the females deposit eggs and the males fertilize them. In this process, some of the crabs are attacked by predators, or the tide ebbs and strands them too far from the water to crawl back. Others, tumbled by the waves, end up on their backs unable to right themselves. Perpetuating the species is a very hazardous task for these crabs, but instinct drives them to take the risk.

What about Christians? Are there hazards in the process of multiplying believers in Christ? Indeed there are many. Perhaps this is why so many of us are content just going to church, reading our Bibles sometimes, and remembering to pray before meals. But we remain on the perimeter, afraid God might ask us to undertake some task for Him that will involve hazards we are unwilling to accept. We don’t want to risk ridicule, rejection or worse. But in the light of what He has done—dying the second death for us in order to multiply those saved for His kingdom—can we do less?

May God prick our hearts until we are willing to listen to His call to service in whatever realm that might be.

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