Normally I send this devotion on Tuesday or Wednesday
of each week. That allows publication in
the Sunday edition of our local newspaper, The Frontiersman. However, I leave this Monday morning for a
moose hunting trip. So, I’m sending the
devotion early this week.
Dear
Fellow Children of God,
On September 20 Alaskan residents will start receiving
their Permanent Fund Dividends. Perhaps
you know that this ‘unique to Alaska dividend’ follows the Alaska constitution,
which states that “the resources of Alaska belong to the people of Alaska.” So, with the flow of oil from the north
slope, after a number of court hearings, Alaska decided to set aside the oil
taxes for state use, and about half are designated for payments to each Alaska
citizen. My family and I have lived in
Alaska since May 4, 1991. Since 1993 we
also have received these dividends.
If you are an Alaskan resident you also know about all
the recommendations or requests you receive on how to spend or use your
dividend. Auto dealerships, furniture
businesses, bicycle stores, and many more ask you to consider spending your
dividend with them. The state even
sponsors a “Pic, Click, Give” opportunity to donate some, or all, of your
dividend to help a charitable organization.
PFD time brings a name to my mind – June Liebing. June was born in Sitka, Alaska, in August of
1921. Her family later moved to the
state of Washington. But, in 1932 they returned to Alaska, to the
Matanuska-Susitna Valley. June’s dad,
Clyde King, came to serve in Federal law enforcement, and the family settled on
land bordering what is now King Lake, where the Salvation Army Camp is located. June passed away on her 95th
birthday in 2016, but before entering the Pioneer Home, she was an every Sunday
attender of early worship at St. John.
June served as a registered nurse during her adult life,
and among other things she volunteered as a Stephen Minister at St. John for
about 20 years. In many ways, June was a
quiet person. However, when Permanent
Fund Time arrived, at the end of worship, during announcements, June would
stand up every year and make pretty much the same announcement. She would say, “God made our earth. God made the oil in the earth. The checks you are about to receive do not
come from the state, they come from God!
I encourage all of you to return to God what He is giving you.” June often encouraged people to consider
tithing (giving 10%) from their permanent funds to God’s work at St. John.
In his second letter to the
Corinthians, inspired by God, St. Paul encourages the Corinthian Christians
with the reason they should consider giving for the Lord’s work. “For you know the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,
so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (2 Corinthians 8:9) In other words,
Jesus gave up the riches of heaven, so that we in turn might receive these
riches in eternity. That is why Paul encourages,
“see that you also excel in this grace
of giving.” (2 Corinthians 8:7)
Since our family started receiving our Permanent Funds
Dividends, these gifts from the Lord, we have tried to be wise in our
spending. When our children were young
and at home, 90% of their money went into Educational IRA’s, and these funds helped
pay for at least one full year of their college education. Kathy and I used 90% of our funds to pay off
bills, or to travel. But, we have always
given 10% of the money from our family’s Permanent Funds to the work of the
Lord at St. John, and we plan to do so again this year. Some years that donation was a pretty good
sum!
I encourage fellow Alaskans to consider the faithful
wisdom of June. “God made our
earth. God made the oil in the
earth. The checks you are about to
receive do not come from the state, they come from God! I encourage all of you to return to God what
He is giving you.” Perhaps you will want
to give to God’s work in your congregation. St. John has been greatly blessed, especially
in earlier years, through such donations.
Perhaps there is a charity you can support. Or, how neat would it be if you anonymously
gave to someone in need?!
Remember, “. . . you
know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your
sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”
A Child of God, Seeking to Respond to God’s Grace, With
Faithful Generosity of my PFD,
Pastor Jonathan
P.S. Last week was
a busy week.
·
On Monday I took former Lutheran Hour Speaker,
current CEO of the Lutheran Center for Religious Liberty, Rev. Dr. Gregory
Seltz, and his daughter, Devin, fishing
on the Little Susitna on Monday, September 12.
It was very late in the run of silver salmon to go fishing, but we
caught 2 fish, and each reeled one in.
Here are a few pictures. (You might have already seen these pictures.) https://photos.app.goo.gl/nfj2L6mc1BnWHXpD9
·
On Tuesday, Pastor Schultz and I watched as Ron
Svedin and crew supervised the lifting of the roof of the St. John, Robert E.
Rockey Pavilion onto the support poles. Here are some AMAZING pictures. (THANK YOU, Ron!) (You might notice the time stamps on the
progress shown in these pictures.) (You might have already seen SOME of these
pictures.) https://photos.app.goo.gl/nfj2L6mc1BnWHXpD9
·
Wednesday was another day at St. John for Bible Study and evening worship.
·
Thursday and Friday were days to harvest the end of our 2022 garden. Here are
some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/z5t6jmSqxAtSdLU99
·
Saturday was a day to pack for moose hunting, which starts for me on Monday, September
19.
P.P.S. SUNDAY SCHOOL for all ages STARTED at St. John last Sunday,
September 11, at 9:45 a.m. Again, COME
AND JOIN US! J
*****
ABOUT THIS DEVOTION - I retired at the end of August 2019
from serving as senior pastor of St. John Lutheran Church in Palmer, AK. I was writing a weekly devotion previously
entitled, "Thoughts from the Pastor."
When I retired many asked me to continue writing these devotions. So I have continued writing. However, with life's changes I now call this
weekly devotion "Journeys Through Life as a Child of God." Since I am no longer senior pastor at St.
John, I felt it right to only send this message to those who asked to receive
it. (Though I am now serving again
part-time at St. John as assistant to the pastor.)
So, if you
stopped receiving these devotions and wondered why, now you understand. And, if you are now receiving these devotions
and do not wish to receive them, please let me know, and I’ll gladly remove
your name from my distribution list. My
e-mail address is jonrock53@mtaonline.net.
My prayer
is that these devotions help each of you in your daily walk with our Lord,
Jesus.
*******
Jonathan Rockey
Child of God
Husband, Father, Son, Grandfather
Pastor Emeritus, St. John Lutheran Church
E-Mail: jonrock53@mtaonline.net
cell phone - 907-841-4066
Home phone - 907-746-5131
“1 John 3:1 How great is the love the
Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that
is what we are!” (1 John 3:1 a)
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