The net had been set since the morning. We slowly motored closer and could see some of the floaters bobbing. We had caught something! Chum salmon after-chum salmon came into the boat, but then a real prize surfaced as we brought in the king of the salmon world. King salmon are among the most (if not the most) sought after fish here in Alaska’s interior. After weeks of checking the net in another location and getting some fish that were good enough to eat and some that we gave away to those with dog teams, we had finally caught our first king!

In keeping with local tradition, anytime you get a first, you give it or at least some of it to an elder. Our first king salmon didn’t stay in our hands for long as we passed it on to an elder. However, over the next week and a half, we found ourselves pulling in a handful more king salmon. The Lord also asks for our first and our best. What a great tradition and way to bring Scripture into the culture of the people here. Only giving out of excess doesn’t require much (Luke 21:1-4), but giving when it requires sacrifice, that requires faith.

Our example to look to when it comes to giving is God himself. He gave us His First and His Best (Jesus) and it cost Him dearly (John 3:16). When our giving to the Lord costs us some-thing we are honoring Him and He is worthy of honor (Proverbs 3:9).