The Better Mom Devotional

by Ruth Schwenk

  • What area of your marriage needs the most growth?

  • What is one step you can take with your spouse to pursue holiness?

  Who Are You Working For?

  Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

  —1 CORINTHIANS 10:31

  God, among other things, is a worker. Work is the very first thing we find Him doing when we open the Bible. He was creating, cultivating, and commanding. He was working—and working hard.

  Not only does God work, but He created us to work. For many of us as moms, that includes working from home, at home, or outside of the home. God created us to work, but not just work for ourselves.

  We were created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26–27). We were made like Him so others could get a good look at Him. In other words, our work isn’t just for us. Our jobs aren’t only about what we get from them. Our work has a greater purpose. And whatever God has given us to do—from changing diapers to running a Fortune 500 business—we are to do it for God’s glory.

  This is a difficult task at times, isn’t it? Many people feel stuck in jobs they don’t like. People get frustrated at times because of difficult coworkers or bosses. Others may like working, but their work doesn’t always feel meaningful or appear to be fruitful.

  Our work was never meant only to satisfy us. God created our work to be a means for showing others what He is like, but also as a means to serve others.

  God wants to use your job for a greater purpose than paychecks, promotions, or personal fulfillment. God wants you to see your workplace, whatever it may be, as a mission field where He’s placed you to serve, give, bless, and show others the love of Jesus.

  Lord, I know that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. You created me to be in a relationship with You, but also to reflect who You are. Help me see that work is good, that You created it with a greater purpose than just what I get out of it. I want my work to be worship. Use my work to honor You and serve others. In Jesus’ name, amen.

  • Are there actions or attitudes you need to change in the workplace in order to serve others with your job?

  • How can seeing your job as a mission change your perspective on work?

  Teaching Your Kids to Pray

  “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

  —MATTHEW 6:9–10

  With four kids, my husband and I have heard prayers for just about anything you can imagine! We’ve prayed for sick hamsters, hurting neighbors, new bikes, and everything in between. While prayer is simply talking to God, there is a right way to talk to God. Even Jesus had to teach His disciples how to pray.

  In Matthew 6, Jesus reminded the disciples that God is a Father, full of love and care. He not only sees us from heaven, but watches over us. He is a Father who is great and powerful. His name is to be “hallowed” or set apart. But in verses 9–10, we find an aspect of prayer that Jesus desires but is often missing in our prayers.

  With “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth,” Jesus told His disciples to pray for a mission. He wanted them to pray for God’s kingdom to come to earth. He wanted them to pray for more than just their own wants and needs. He was teaching them to pray for God to show up and have His way in their actions and everyday circumstances.

  As a mom, I need this reminder. But I also want to begin teaching my kids to pray this way.

  As we are raising kids who will one day grow up and love God and love the world, let’s begin now to teach them to pray for a mission. Let’s start teaching them to pray for God’s will to be done in them and through them.

  Father, thank You for Your love and goodness to me. I know that everything that comes into my life first comes through Your love. Help me pray with Your mission in mind and teach my kids to do the same. May Your reign and rule come through me today. In Jesus’ name, amen.

  • In what circumstances in your life do you need to be praying that God’s kingdom would come and that His will would be done?

  • What is one way you can begin teaching your kids to pray for God’s kingdom to come and for His will to be done?

  The One Who Judges Justly

  When they hurled their insults at [Jesus], he did not retaliate; when he suffered, he made no threats. Instead, he entrusted himself to him who judges justly.

  —1 PETER 2:23

  We all like the idea of a loving God who is patient with us. In Christ, He forgives, redeems, and restores. He has set His affection on us like a parent loves his children. But what about a God who is Judge?

  When the Bible describes God as Judge, it is describing God as a righteous King who governs, reigns, and defends His people. In His goodness, He is a Judge who promises to right all wrongs. As the psalmist declared, “The LORD is a God who avenges” (Psalm 94:1). Why is this such good news?

  The good news is that God is not indifferent to the hurts we experience. Neither is He uninterested in the ways others have sinned against us.

  If you have been hurt or wounded, know that God loves you. And because He loves you, He will not let sin go unpunished. Always the just Judge, He will take care of the wrong in His way and in His time.

  Maybe someone has damaged your reputation. Perhaps you have been treated unfairly. Whatever wrongs you have experienced, God has promised to make them right one day.

  So let God be Judge. You and I don’t have to try to punish or get even with those who hurt us. We can forgive and pray for them instead. We don’t have to be the judge. Like Jesus, we can entrust ourselves to the One who judges justly and find the freedom to love and bless others.

  Lord, You are King of all creation. I know that one day You will make right all wrongs. In the meantime, please guard my heart from anger and the desire to get even. Help me entrust myself to You, the One who judges justly. In Jesus’ name, amen.

  • How can the knowledge of God as Judge free you to forgive and love those people who have hurt you?

  • Are you are trying to punish someone in your life? How can you entrust yourself today to the One who judges justly?

  The Glory of Suffering

  We also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

  —ROMANS 5:3–4

  Several years ago I went through a period of about a year and a half when the trials were numerous and the suffering was great. I felt as if I would never be on the other side.

  We’ve all gone through hard times we would rather have avoided. The experience can leave us hardened and numb. But the truth is that God uses our suffering to produce in us something beautiful and glorious. God uses our sufferings to make us better, transforming us into who He created us to be.

  What God is doing in us is far more important than what we are doing for God. The apostle Paul wrote, “We . . . glory in our sufferings.” Most days I want to get out of my suffering, not “glory” in it! So why did Paul say this? “Because we know that suffering produces” Christlikeness in us. Through our struggles God shapes us, refines us, and molds us more and more into the image of Jesus. Our suffering also has the potential to produce in us “perseverance . . . character; and . . . hope.”

  When Paul wrote about his own trials, he made it clear that they were not getting in the way of what God had for him. Paul’s trials were hard, for sure, but they were no obstacle for God’s power and purposes. Likewise, our suffering is not an interruption of what God is doing in our lives. Instead, our suffering may be the way God works in us and transforms us.

  So how can you change your perspective of what you are going through right now to allow God to shape you? How can you see your season or circumstances differently, recognizing that what God wants to do in you is far more important?

  Father, I know that You are using all of my life, including my trials, to make me more like Jesus. Help me cooperate with what You are doing in my life. Guard my heart agains
t being hardened or indifferent. Grow me. Change all of me. Produce good things in my heart, even if the circumstances are hard. In Jesus’ name, amen.

  • What do you think it means to “glory” in your suffering?

  • How can you change either an attitude or action that is related to your current circumstances?

  Realistic Friendships

  Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love.

  —EPHESIANS 4:2 NLT

  I watched one of our neighbors walk past our house on the sidewalk. She lives just down the street and around the corner. This was the second time I saw her walk by. But she didn’t walk all the way past. She stopped just where our sidewalk ends.

  Between our house and the house next to us is an empty area where the builder has yet to finish the sidewalk. So between us, in this community space, are mud, rocks, and patches of mangled grass, which is probably why my neighbor stopped where the smooth, clean, and newly paved sidewalk ends.

  On this particular day as I watched her from my upstairs window, it struck me that this is often how we approach friendships. We prefer the smooth and even pavement over the mud and rocks. We stay engaged in a relationship until it gets difficult, a little rocky, and more difficult to trek. Like my neighbor, we sometimes find it easier to turn around rather than to keep walking.

  But the Bible doesn’t paint a picture of easy friendships. Instead, we find pictures of real friendships, ones that have good days, but also really tough ones. In our friendships, we need to be realistic. Just as we are growing, so are our friends.

  There is no perfect friendship other than the one Jesus offers us. So be a good friend. Don’t expect your friends to be perfect. Thank God for the sidewalks in your friendships, and trust Him to give you grace to keep loving and giving, even when the sidewalk ends. As the apostle Paul instructed, “Be patient with each other.” And be sure to give grace to people for their faults because of your love for them.

  Father, guard my heart from expecting too much from my friendships. Help me make room for faults and imperfections. Teach me to love even when friendships aren’t easy because this is how You love me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

  • In what ways can we idolize friendships?

  • What is one thing you can do today to love a friend who is sometimes hard to love?

  Trusting God’s Truth

  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

  —MATTHEW 5:6

  In the gospel of Matthew, we’re told Jesus faced His share of opposition. In fact, when Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, He was immediately met with temptation. Three different times Satan tempted Him, twice saying, “If you are the Son of God . . .” (Matthew 4:3, 6).

  But have you noticed how Jesus responded? He didn’t try to argue with Satan, correct him, or explain things. Three times Jesus simply responded with a truth from Scripture: “It is written.” In other words, Jesus’ greatest defense was God’s Word. It was so much a part of Him that at every turn, it just oozed out of Him.

  What strengthened Jesus—what gave Him nourishment and sustenance—were the truth and promises of God’s Word. He devoured the Word. Meditated on it. It brought strength and health when Jesus needed it the most. And God’s Word can do the same for us.

  We can get hungry as moms, can’t we? We get hungry for friendships. We crave some peace and quiet. We can long for the way things used to be. But we must always remember that nothing satisfies and nourishes our souls like the truth of God’s Word. More than how we are feeling, we need to remember what God says. His Word gives us hope, perspective, wisdom, and strength. God’s Word is living and active, transforming us from the inside out.

  Lord, thank You for the gift of Your Word. It is life. It is truth. It alone satisfies my soul. Help me cling to Your Word more than to my feelings or to people’s opinions. Teach me to hide Your Word in my heart that I might not sin against You. In Jesus’ name, amen.

  • In what ways are you tempted to rely on how you feel instead of on God’s Word?

  • What is one thing you can do today to begin feeding on God’s Word?

  An Enemy of the Heart

  A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.

  —PROVERBS 14:30

  We had no idea the freezer wasn’t working. It had been months since we last put anything in or took anything out. So when we popped it open one evening to put some leftover meat inside, we were met with quite a surprise—a freezer full of rotting food. Yuck!

  The Bible says that envy rots the bones. Like a freezer gone bad, envy creates an environment that spoils our hearts. Envy is sorrow over someone else’s good fortune or blessing. At the same time, envy is the desire to have someone else’s good favor.

  If you’ve ever struggled to celebrate someone else’s success, then you’ve struggled with envy. If you’ve compared yourself to others, feeling superior to them at times and inferior at other times, then you’ve struggled with envy. If you have ever secretly been resentful or bitter because of someone’s marriage, parenting, or career, then you’ve struggled with envy.

  It is true that a “heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.” Contentment gives life; envy steals life. A great enemy of the heart, envy is always trying to draw our attention to what we don’t have and what we wish we did.

  Our best weapon against envy is gratitude. Our hearts are transformed when we focus on what we do have but don’t deserve. We have been given all things in Christ (Romans 8:32), including forgiveness and eternal life. What more could we want? What more do we need? Yet God has also blessed us with family, friends, food, clothing, a place to live—and the list goes on.

  A heart that is gripped by God’s grace will be filled with good things like joy and peace, leaving no room for envy. What is your heart filled with today?

  Father, thank You for blessing me beyond what I deserve. I praise and thank You for all that I do have but don’t deserve. Guard my heart from envying the blessings You have given others. Fill my heart instead with gratitude and contentment because of all that You have given me. In Jesus’ name, amen.

  • When have you struggled to celebrate someone else’s successes, especially that of other moms?

  • What can you do today to focus on what you do have but don’t deserve rather than what you don’t have?

  Speaking Life into Your Family

  The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

  —PROVERBS 18:21

  It’s a sobering fact that our words reflect who we are. Jesus put it this way: “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of ” (Luke 6:45).

  Clearly, ours is not simply a word problem; ours is a heart problem. Our words reveal what is going on in our hearts!

  We use thousands of words every day—some suggest as many as ten thousand! The Bible teaches us that words are not neutral. Words carry weight and have significant power. I’m guessing you can still remember certain words that were spoken to you years ago. Some of those words were undoubtedly painful, but maybe others were positively powerful.

  Words can make or break a marriage; they can make or break a child. Harsh, sarcastic, and controlling words can do indescribable damage. But gentle, kind, and encouraging words can strengthen and protect a family.

  Speak life into your marriage. Tell your husband you love him. Express your appreciation to him. Encourage him. Guard your lips from harsh or critical words.

  Speak life into your children. Tell them often that you love them. Let them know the traits you appreciate that make them unique. Avoid harsh and critical words. Encourage your kids, and pray for them.

  And ask God to change your heart so He changes your words. Pray
that you would be cautious with not only what you say, but how you say it.

  Father, help me be careful of how I speak to my family members. Renew my heart so that I might overflow with words that are loving, encouraging, and truthful. Guard my lips from tearing people down. I pray that You would strengthen my family by strengthening the way we talk to one another. Help me bring life, not death, to one another through the words we use. In Jesus’ name, amen.

  • What do you think your words reveal about your heart?

  • What life-giving words will you speak to your spouse and your kids today?

  Filling Your Home with Beauty

  The LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden.

  —GENESIS 2:8

  I have long envied the ability of an interior designer because I am the furthest thing from one. Especially early on in our marriage and family, I was just glad to have a house of our own. Who had the time, let alone the money, to decorate it? But as the years have gone by, I have learned the importance of filling our living spaces with greater purpose, beauty, and warmth. Much like God did in Eden at the very beginning.

  When God first placed Adam and Eve in the garden, He didn’t build them just any home. Eden was far from sterile or bland. Instead, with creativity, warmth, and beauty, He gave them a living space that would be a constant reminder of His goodness, power, and love.