Bible Verses & Chocolate Cake

“So, what did you kids learn at church today?” asked Jeremy and Emily’s dad. It was Sunday afternoon, and their family was sitting around the dinner table enjoying some freshly grilled cheeseburgers.

Jeremy thought about Dad’s question as he swallowed. “Well,” he replied, “our class talked about how Jesus used God’s Word to help him say no to Satan’s temptations.”

“Yeah!” said his sister, Emily. “We learned that, too. But our teacher also said we can pray for help when we feel like we want to do the wrong things.”

“I see,” said Dad. “But don’t forget, you can also run away from temptation, too.”

“And,” their mom added, “it’s also good to keep away from things that tempt you. Like I’m doing right now by passing this bowl of potato chips over to Dad, so I won’t be tempted to eat them all.”

The kids laughed as they each took a handful of chips and passed the bowl. “I don’t think I have much trouble with temptation,” said Jeremy.

“What do you mean?” asked Emily. “I see you do bad things all the time.”

Jeremy frowned and replied, “Oh yeah? Well, I can think of some things you do, too. So there!”

“Wait! Stop!” said Dad. “The temptation to sin is real for all of us. And it can be in small things we may not even think about, like how we speak to each other.”

Jeremy and Emily both looked down at their plates. Neither one of them spoke as they finished their burgers. They both felt a little angry—and embarrassed that they had given into temptation to argue so easily. Finally, Emily said, “I’m sorry, Jeremy. I know I do bad things all the time.”

“Yeah, me too,” Jeremy replied. “But I don’t want to sin. I’d rather do stuff that pleases God.”

“I think we all feel that way,” Mom agreed.

“Hey!” Emily squealed. “I’ve got a great idea. How about if we help each other do the right thing?”

Jeremy nodded in agreement. “It’s a deal. We’ll help each other keep from giving in to temptation.”

Mom and Dad smiled as they took their dishes into the kitchen.

As the day went on, Emily began to wonder if her idea was really all that great. It seemed as if Jeremy was watching her every move. When she went to her room to collect her dolls for a tea party, Jeremy was waiting for her just outside her door. “Tsk, tsk,” he said. “You shouldn’t be tempted to leave your room in a mess.”

Emily stopped in the hall and looked back toward her room. “What do you mean? It’s fine.”

“No, you didn’t make up your bed,” Jeremy pointed out. “I just got in trouble from Mom because I didn’t make up my bed. You know if Mom sees that, she’ll make you come back and fix it. Remember, the Bible says to obey our parents.”

Emily frowned. Jeremy was right. She knew she was supposed to make up her bed each day. “Hmmph,” she sighed as she moved past Jeremy and began to tug at her blankets. When she was finally finished, Emily shut her bedroom door and headed outside with her dolls.

On her way to the back door, Emily heard a noise in the kitchen—clink, clunk. She stopped to listen, then heard someone say, “Mmm, yummy.”

Emily peeked in the doorway and saw her brother standing in front of a deliciouslooking chocolate cake, which Mom had just finished baking. “Boy, am I staaarving!” Jeremy said to himself as he lifted his fork and prepared to plunge it into the cake for a monstrous bite.

“Uh! Uh! Uh!” Emily said, waggling her finger at her brother.

“What?” Jeremy froze and turned to his sister.

“Mom told me she wants that cake for her ladies’ meeting tomorrow,” Emily said.

“But I’m starving,” Jeremy whined. “And I love chocolate cake.”

“Well, I know it’s tempting; it looks delicious. But, try to think of a Bible verse that will help you say no.” Emily noticed Jeremy was still staring hungrily at the cake with his fork still up in the air. She was afraid he might give in and take a big bite out of it. Emily thought quickly. “Umm, how about the verse that says to put others first!” she exclaimed.

“Huh?” Jeremy asked. “What does that have to do with cake?”

“Well,” Emily explained, “think about how Mom will be upset and embarrassed if her friends see a huge chunk missing tomorrow.”

“I guess you’re right,” said Jeremy gloomily. He laid his fork down and put the lid back over the cake—just in time.

At that moment, Mom rushed into the kitchen. “What are you two doing?” she asked, screeching to a halt. “Jeremy, don’t you dare touch that cake!”

“I didn’t, Mom! Actually,” Jeremy confessed, “I was about to take a big bite, but Emily helped me remember that it would be wrong to do that.”

“Really?” said Mom. “Thank you. I’m proud of you for saying no to the temptation. I know how much you love chocolate cake.”

“Yeah.” Jeremy nodded sadly.

“Well, I appreciate you both helping each other do the right thing, so I made a special cake just for you to share.” She opened a container, and their sat another luscious, fudgy cake inside.

“Thanks, Mom!” both kids shouted as they each grabbed a fork and eagerly plunged into the chocolatey goodness.

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