AUGUST 22

Psalm 119:16
          
FORGET NOT HIS WORD

Katie rubbed her stomach as she eyed the cake Mom had just nished frosting. “Christy and I sure are hungry!” said Katie. Her cousin Christy was spending the next two days with her, and the girls were looking for an afternoon snack.

Mom laughed. “Help yourself,” she invited.

As the girls began to eat their cake, Katie looked at Christy in surprise. “Christy, are you just going to eat the frosting?” asked Katie. “ The cake itself is yummy - it’s the best part! It’s a special cake Mom makes with nuts and chocolate chunks in it. I like it even better than the frosting!”

“ The frosting is all I ever eat,” Christy replied. She glanced at Katie’s mother. “I guess I shouldn’t have taken a piece. I hope you don’t mind too much,” added Christy.

“Well,”said Mom,“dinner won’t be ready for a while,and I’m afraid you won’t find the frosting very satisfying. Like Katie says, you’re really leaving the best part. Why don’t you take one taste and see if you like it?”

Christy wrinkled her nose, paused, but eventually took a tiny bite. “It is good!” she said in surprise. “I think I’ll eat the rest.”

That evening the girls were in the middle of a game when Dad called them for family devotion.“Can we just read the story in the devotional book tonight and skip the rest so we have time to finish our game?” suggested Katie. Dad frowned. “Skip the Bible reading and prayer?” he asked.

“Well, just this once,” Katie murmured.

“ That would be like eating the frosting and leaving the cake, wouldn’t it?” asked Mom. “We’d be missing the best part. If we don’t have time for both the Scripture and the story, we had better read the Scripture.”

“I... I see what you mean,” Katie admitted. She grinned. “Okay, let’s just ‘eat’ the whole thing. It’s all good!”

Thought: Have you read the suggested Scripture passage for today? Do you usually skip the verses that you are supposed to read?
Prayer: Heavenly Father, sometimes I am tempted to skip the Bible reading and read only the story. I pray I won’t do that. Remind me that Scripture is the most important part of this devotional, and I must not miss it! is is my prayer in Jesus’ precious name – amen.