Daily Devotions

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Marty and Kathy’s Magazine

Read the latest issue of SEEC Magazine, Marty and Kathy’s ministry magazine.
This is our 24th year of publication!
Click on the cover below to read.

Vol24Iss3_500

Flow out of Relationship

Kathy — I don’t think Father intended “heaven coming to earth through us to be a constant strain but rather a flow out of  relationship, like Father like son, like Father like daughter.  It’s a powerful and dynamic flow but beautifully  simple.  Of course, the essential requisite is that we think like our Father and that may be a FlowingSpringstrain and take some effort and practice and retraining.  That is especially true since we have been trained since we were children under the influence of mindsets and traditions in our family, church, schools, government and media.  There are some misbeliefs instilled in us that don’t come close to God’s thinking.  Like some churches are full of people that strain to be good just to make it to heaven and they have no awareness that God wants them involved and touching the lives of those in their reach and seeing heaven come to earth.  Ironically, while they are straining to measure up, they are missing God’s will and purpose for their entire lifetime; and because their beliefs and lifestyle are so typical in the church world, no one notices.  That is sad, but that is the result of adopting a religion instead of being adopted into a relationship.  Wherever we adapt to the culture of this earth, this world, this age or mere religion, we’ll find it a challenge to think like our Father in heaven.

Not by Whim or Emotion

PrayerWomanLookUpDecree (Job 22:28) is not determined by whim or emotion. They are those things that decide one thing one time under one set of circumstances or feelings but not under another. Decree involves comprehending a plan. (“You shall frame all your projects and purposes with much wisdom and resignation to the will of God” — Matthew Henry on Job 22:28)

Sons’ Reach

MapPointFingerKathy — Thankfully, Father has many sons, a corporate people in the earth and we each are allotted our own reach.  Our reach is our sphere of responsibility and our area of influence.  Our reach is the lives and issues we can touch and affect.  Our reach is the assignments that come into our radar or awareness.

Fathers and Children Turned to Each Other

As the people of God assemble today, may hearts of fathers be turned to the coming childrunfathergeneration. May fathers in our congregations discern the potential of the youth around them and let their hearts be turned to affirming them, encouraging them and enabling them on to their destiny in Christ. May this be the most memorable Father’s Day with fathers and children turned to each other in love and in honor, grasping the heavenly Father’s heart for the generations to glorify His intent. “May the Lord richly bless both you and your children.” (Ps.115:14, TLB)

Are Our Shoulders Available?

I saw a statue of a child standing on the shoulders of a man. The plaque at the base of the statue was a quote attributed to Sir Isaac Newton. It reads something like this: “The reason the present generation can see so far is because it is standing on FatherChildShouldersthe shoulders of the former generation.” Is the generation coming after us presently standing on their fathers’ shoulders? Does that generation even know that those shoulders are available? Have we taken that generation and lifted them, no matter what the cost, up and onto our shoulders? Are we expecting them to simply stand alongside us and inherit the same inadequacies and shortcomings we have been willing to live with? Some people rehearse to their children the failures and injustices and less-than-desirable qualities of their heritage. While some boldly abort the coming generation while they are still in the womb, some abort them in a more religiously acceptable manner once they are out of the womb. In either case, the future has been robbed of their God-ordained potential. Perhaps it is the job of the mothers to push until they are born and then perhaps it is the job of the fathers to push up until they are securely standing on our shoulders.

Heaven Coming to Earth

Kathy — Heaven coming to earth is a bigger deal than praying a prayer.  When we were in North Carolina, our nephew was going to take us to the airport. He asked Isaiah, his 5 yr-old, if he wanted to go to the airport with us.  Isaiah answered, “Sounds like a job for Spiderman.”  That might of had something to do with the Sunlight cloudspajamas he was wearing, but if someone asks us, “You want to be a part of heaven coming to earth?” our first thought might be to borrow Isaiah’s PJs!  That sounds like a job for a super hero or Super Spiritual Someone, but the first thing Jesus said in the Lord’s prayer is our starting point and safe anchor, “Our Father”.  Even before God’s awesome, ultimate majesty begins unfolding as the scripture continues, “Who is in heaven”, He is first Father and that establishes relationship as a Father with sons and daughters.  The reality is that every son and daughter of God is on earth to do Father’s doings and can bring His presence, authority, power, plans and governmental order to change lives and situations in the earth as it is in heaven. Seeing heaven come into earth is supposed to be part of sonship and normal life because wherever sons and daughters are, the Kingdom is within reach (Lk.10:9,11).

Attaching Ourselves to the Word of God

ManStandBible“And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed…” (2Pe1:19) “Heed” means to apply oneself to; to attach oneself to; to be given or addicted to. There must be some point at some level in which we come into agreement with the declared word of God and own it for ourselves. It becomes a part of us as we begin to declare it.

Committed to Participation

Men PrayingKathy — To pray, “Your Kingdom come and Your will be done, on earth as in heaven,” is not asking God to do what He does and just take care of everything while I go grocery shopping.  Praying His Kingdom come is an action of agreement.  To pray that as Jesus meant it, we must be willing to align with His answer as it processes into the earth.  We cannot effectually pray “Your Kingdom come and will be done on earth” without being committed to participation that may involve action on our part.