Alpaca Parade

Read: John 10:25-30 Brayan and his parents lived out in the country, right next door to the McNairs’ alpaca ranch. Brayan was fascinated with the alpacas. He would often sit outside and watch them grazing. “Brayan!” Mom called to him one day. “Mr. McNair invited you to come over at six-thirty this evening to help feed the alpacas.” “All right!” Brayan rushed through his homework and dinner and arrived at the McNairs’ barn right on time. “First we’re going to fill the hay bins and pour the feed into the troughs,” Mr. McNair told him. “Then we’ll call the alpacas in.” After the hay bins and troughs were filled, Brayan followed Mr. and Mrs. McNair toward the pasture. Mr. McNair began to call the alpacas. “Come, pacas, come!” Brayan watched in amazement as the alpacas responded to the sound of Mr. McNair’s voice. They began running toward the barn. Soon all the alpacas were gathered around the feeding troughs. Once the alpacas were done eating, Mr. McNair put a halter on Loki and led him over to Brayan. “You can gently stroke his fur, if you like.” Brayan, with a big smile on his face, slowly raised his hand and began to pat Loki. “You’re a good boy!” Brayan said. Mrs. McNair smiled. “You can come back anytime, Brayan.” When Brayan returned home, Mom asked, “How did it go?” “I loved it! The coolest part was watching all the alpacas running toward the barn when they heard Mr. McNair calling them. All he had to say was ‘Come, pacas, come!’ and they all came running.” “That reminds me of a verse in the Bible,” said Mom. “In the book of John, Jesus says, ‘My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.’ The alpacas recognize Mr. McNair’s voice because they know him and trust him. As Christians, we trust and follow Jesus because we have a relationship with Him. He speaks to us through His Word, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit helps us hear His voice and know what He says is true.” “Wow, that’s really cool!” said Brayan. “Can I help feed the alpacas tomorrow? Maybe someday they will trust me too, just like they do Mr. McNair.” –Lisa Fuller How about you? Are you a follower of Jesus? Do you listen to His voice? The Bible reminds us that we are like the Lord’s sheep, and just like sheep follow their shepherd, we trust and follow Jesus. As we spend time with God in church, in prayer, and in His Word, we learn to recognize and respond to His voice. Spend time with the Lord today and listen to what He tells you. Today's key verse: My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 (NLT) Today's key thought: Listen to God’s voice