(From last time)
The lawnmower and the kids went hurtling over the edge of the cliff! They were going full speed straight down! Flash and Spark Plug could see the sharp rocks 800 feet below them and coming fast! They were both screaming for God to help them! Then it happened! 50 feet before they hit the rocks at the bottom of the canyon, there were two trees growing on a small ledge of rock. The lawn mower crashed through the branches of those trees. Smoke began pouring out of the lawn mower’s motor, the lawn mower began to shake like a marshmallow roasting on an open fire, Flash began to scream, and the turbo charger began to make a noise like an ostrich singing in the rain. And…
The lawnmower was racing toward a cliff! Flash tried to stop the lawn mower, but they could not stop in time, and they went over the cliff! They only dropped down about four feet, then they landed on a short ledge about six feet wide, and they went over another four-foot drop! It was like giant stairs made of blocks of rock. After a lot of bouncing, the lawnmower reached the bottom and Flash was able to stop the lawnmower and they got a chance to look around. They were in a big canyon, and there were a lot of people using hammers and chisels, they were cutting those huge blocks of rock out of the sides of the canyon! These people did not seem friendly, and they ignored Flash and Spark Plug. Spark Plug said, “These people must be cutting out blocks of rock to make building! They must not live in caves.” Flash answered, “That might be true, but how can they move these big blocks of rock after they are cut out? They are too heavy to carry!”
Spark Plug answered, “I think I know how they move those rocks, look at that!” He pointed across the floor of the canyon and there was a big open area, with some huge dinosaurs in it! Flash picked up the tablet and took a picture of those dinosaurs, and the tablet immediately identified them as Brachiosaurus. All the Brachiosaurus had long ropes tied to them so that they could drag the blocks of rock out of the canyon. While they were waiting, the Brachiosaurus were eating leaves from the tops of the trees (they did not even have to stretch to reach the tops of the trees). Each Brachiosaurus had their neck painted with a pattern, and beside each Brachiosaurus the person in charge of them had a wooden pole painted with the same pattern. This way the person could tell which Brachiosaurus belonged to them.
Flash and Spark Plug watched as each person with their Brachiosaurus took their turn to drag a big block of rock out of the canyon and then come back and eat until it was their turn again. It was fun to watch, but soon something happened! Dark clouds came rolling over the side of the canyon and a fierce thunderstorm came with those clouds! The lightning was so close and the thunder so loud that all the people ran for cover and the Brachiosaurus stomped around in terror! Rain came down so hard that Flash and Spark Plug could not see anything!
The storm was over just as fast as it had started, and everyone calmed down. But now there was a problem! The hard rain had washed all the paint off the necks of the Brachiosaurus! None of the people could tell which Brachiosaurus belonged to them, and they ran around trying to figure out which dinosaur belonged to them. There was one man who acted differently. He calmly went to one side and yelled loudly! He yelled just one word, but when that Brachiosaurus heard the master yell its name, it immediately left the other Brachiosaurus and went to its master. It was trained to answer when its master called out its name.
That man and his Brachiosaurus were ready to go back to work. So, while the other people were still trying to figure which Brachiosaurus belonged to them, this man and his Brachiosaurus picked the best rock and began to drag it out of the canyon. Flash and Spark Plug decided to follow them and see what the people were building with all these big blocks of rock. When they got to the top of the canyon, they could not believe their eyes…
What can we learn from this story:
In the Bible in the book of John chapter 10 verses 27-30 Jesus is speaking and He says:
“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.”
Many times, in the Bible, Jesus compares believers (Christians) to sheep. Many times, the comparison demonstrates how inadequate we are in our relationship to God, but in this case being compared to a sheep is a good thing:
- Sheep are not fooled, they only follow their true shepherd
- Sheep have complete trust in their shepherd
- A sheep does not try to ‘figure it out’ on their own
You need to learn to recognize the voice of Jesus in your life. You can start becoming familiar with the voice of Jesus by:
- Reading your Bible every day
- Going to a good Church that teaches about Jesus using the Bible
- Spending time in prayer
- Spending time just being quiet and thinking about the things that you have learned about Jesus
Your goal and desire should be to get to know Jesus just as well as the Brachiosaurus knew its master’s voice