Do you know who Bezalel and Oholiab are in Scripture? Did you ever have any friends with those
names? Did any of you name your children
Bezalel or Oholiab? In the book of Exodus
we learn about these two men who were craftsmen extraordinaire!
Moses taught the Israelites about Bezalel in Exodus 35:30-31, “See,
the LORD has called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, son of Hur, of the tribe of
Judah; 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill,
with intelligence, with knowledge, and with all craftsmanship,” Later in verses 34-35 we hear similar praises
concerning Oholiab. God instructed Moses
to task these two men with leadership in constructing the Tabernacle for the
worship of God’s people as they wandered in the wilderness. In Exodus 36:1 we also read about these men, "Bezalel
and Oholiab and every craftsman in whom the LORD has put skill and intelligence
to know how to do any work in the construction of the sanctuary shall work in
accordance with all that the LORD has commanded."
Perhaps you also saw what I did.
These men were not just talented on their own. The Lord, Himself, filled these men with His
Spirit so they possessed “skill, with intelligence, with knowledge, and with
all craftsmanship,” Wouldn’t it be
wonderful to watch these men work?
l have personally struggled at times with handyman and fix-it chores
around my home. I am in awe of men and
women who have such talents. Ron Svedin
displayed great skill in building the Robert E. Rockey Pavilion at St. John
Lutheran in Palmer, Alaska. As I
watched, I was amazed. My wife is a
wizard with a sewing machine, or with a serger, or an embroidery machine, or a quilting
machine, or just with her hands. It is
amazing, not only what she has sewn for family and friends, but also the work
she has done for congregations to help with the altar, or baptism napkins, or
communion purificators and cloths. Her
quilts are works of art. Kathy is gifted
and blesses others, and serves the Lord, with her gift.
As I was reading about Bezalel and Oholiab in my devotions on
Tuesday, March 3, I thought about the survey for this coming Sunday at First
Lutheran Church in Gainesville, FL. The
survey is entitled, “What’s Your Superpower?”
In filling out this survey God’s people will prayerfully consider their
interests and skills, and say they are willing to consider using these
skills to serve our Lord.
Some might say, “I don’t have any special abilities. However, in 1 Corinthians 12 the Apostle Paul
teaches about gifts such as knowledge, and wisdom, and faith, and many others, “Now
to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common
good. . . . All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives
them to each one, just as he determines.” (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11) Every child of
God is gifted in some way. We are
blessed with our abilities, not just for ourselves, but . . . ‘for the
common good.’ Consider, for example, Bezalel and Oholiab.
In addition, one of my favorite Bible verses explains why
I might want to use my gifts to serve God and others. “and he died for all, that those who live
might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their
sake died and was raised.” (2 Corinthians 5:15) I WANT to live for Jesus BECAUSE He died and
rose for me!
Do you know anyone named Bezalel or Oholiab? Nevertheless, I expect that you do know some
children of God who have special gifts and abilities, and who willingly and
joyfully use these gifts to serve the Lord and others.
How are you gifted by God’s Spirit? Where are you serving? Are you finding joy in your service?
A Child of God, Gifted
by God’s Spirit – Saved to Serve Joyfully!
Pastor Rockey
P.S. I am
now in Gainesville, FL, serving as assistant to Pastor Chris Kollmann at First
Lutheran Church.
First
Lutheran Activities
·
WHAT ARE YOUR SUPERPOWERS? Starting in worship on Sunday, March 8,
members and friends of First Lutheran will be asked to fill out a survey as we
seek to learn of the abilities and interest of those at FLC. Here is the QR code for the survey if you
want to get a head start. 😊
·
MID-WEEK LENTEN WORSHIP – In the time
before Jesus’ Easter victory, we focus on our need for His resurrection. Lent is a season of repentance for our
sin. Lent is a season when we watch
Jesus suffer and die for us.
During
our 2026 Mid-Week Lenten Worship at First Lutheran we will focus on
The
Sins of the Disciples. Here is our
schedule for the sermons.
February
18 - Judas Betrayal
February
25 - James and John Who
is the Greatest
March
4 Andrew Pride
March
11 Peter, James, and
John Laziness/Falling Asleep
March
18 Peter Denial
March
25 Thomas Doubt
·
SUNDAY SERMON SERIES – During the Sunday
Worship Services we will consider Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son, looking
at different parts of the parable for 6 weeks.
Not only the words of Luke 15 help us understand, but also Timothy Keller’s
book, “The Prodigal God.” Here are our
topics for the year’s Sunday Lenten Sermons.
o
Week 1 - Feb 15 - I
want your life - Luke 15:11-16, Ephesians 4:17-24
o
Week 2 - Feb 22nd -
The Younger Brother's Plan - Luke 15:11-24
o
Week 3 - March 1 -
Redefining Sin and Lostness - Luke 15: 11-16, 25-32,
o
Week 4 - March 8th -
He Ran to Me - Luke 15:11-24, Philippians 2:1-11
o
Week 5 - March 15th -
The True Elder Brother - Luke 15:25-32, Matthew 28-34-40
o
Week 6 - March 22nd -
How does it End? - Luke 15:25-32, Mark 8:31-33
·
STEPHEN MINISTRY - We started Stephen
Ministry classes at First Lutheran on Thursday, February 12. Stephen
Ministers are trained Christian care-givers. A Stephen Minister is not
a pastor, and not a counselor. But they Christians who are
trained to bring Jesus and His love to another Christian person facing a
difficult time.
Open Arms Director, Angie Burr, is a trained
Stephen Leader. We are looking for one or two more people to go through
training to help Angie lead in this ministry.
We do have 8 people who have committed to train
and serve as Stephen Ministers, as Christian care-givers. Training
happens on Thursdays at 6:00 p.m. and will end on April 23.
Please pray for our Lord to use these
Stephen Ministers to serve His people.
·
Pastor Kollman and I are teaching separate
Sunday Bible classes on Sundays at 8:45 a.m. from February 8-March 15.
o
Pastor Kollmann is teaching a Lutheran Hour
Ministry Class on “How we Got the Bible” in the Besalski Fellowship
Hall.
o
I am teaching a study of the book of Ephesians
in the Schwiebert Library and Conference room.
·
Young People Activities at FLC
o
YOUTH ACTIVITIES - Our first youth
activity was held at the Kollmann residence on Sunday afternoon, February 22. It was supposed to be a bonfire, but there is
a ‘burn ban’ because of the current dry conditions.
We are discussing other monthly
activities. We discussed a trip to
Devil’s Millhopper, or a Gator’s baseball game in March. In April we plan to attend the Orange and
Blue Game. 😊 If your children are going into 3rd
grade, or older, please consider participating in these fun activities of
growth.
o ACOLYTE
TRAINING - We held acolyte training on Saturday, February 21, at 11:00 a.m.
Four young people were trained, with one more to be trained later. If your child missed the training, please
see Pastor Kollmann. He will soon be
training his son, Jacob, and could include you in that training.
Other
Activities of Faith:
·
I have again started my two year journey with my
Lord. On Tuesday, March 3, I read Exodus 35-36, about the building
of the tabernacle.
Feel free to join me again if you
wish. You may also contact me at 907-841-4066 if you have any
questions about these readings. Or send an e-mail question to jonrock53@mtaonline.net
I have received questions and comments about the readings. It is always
good to consider our Lord’s love and guidance. I will TRY to answer, but some
things only God knows!
P.P.S. Family
Fun and Fishing! We had a visit last week from long-time
friends, Rick and Kris Armstrong. (They
introduced us, and they were in our wedding in 1977.) I / we were able to do some golfing and fishing. Here are a few pictures.
·
On Thursday, February 26, Rick and I golfed at
Hawkstone Country Club. I’m glad the
weather was nice, because our golf games were not. ☹
·
On Friday, February 27, Rick and I went to a new
favorite lake and fished. We had about
10 bites, and caught 3 fish. Here are a
couple of pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/DrAPaQLVnzvj76zH7
·
On Saturday, February 28, I ventured to the
mouth of the Suwannee River. I ran
upstream, catching high tide in the river.
I kept 5 bass and 4 bream. It was
a good day. Here are some pictures. https://photos.app.goo.gl/95kzupL1E5wvoNBe9
·
On Monday, March 2, I fished in another favorite
lake. I fought wind most of the day, and
missed the three bites I had.
Nevertheless, I was present for this beautiful sunset! https://photos.app.goo.gl/WdPJvx1u8KNbmX8d6
*******
ABOUT THIS
DEVOTION - I retired at the end of August 2019 from serving as full-time
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.
(However, I am currently as Assistant to the Pastor for First Lutheran Church
in Gainesville, FL.)
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
Assistant to the
Pastor , First Lutheran Church, Gainesville, FL
Pastor Emeritus,
St. John Lutheran Church, Palmer, AK
“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)
