Category: From Our President

By John O’Malley

The very words, When God Needs My Help, seem silly.

God is God. He does not need my help, manipulations, or interference in His plans.

God promised Sarah he would give her a son. When Sarah saw what she thought was a delay in God’s delivery of the promise, she helped God. Sarah suggested a plan that sounded right to her.

Sarah’s impatience led her to propose a plan to Abraham, suggesting that their maid Hagar could help with God’s promise. In line with the cultural norms, Hagar became a surrogate for Sarah. However, this was not God’s plan for Sarah to have a son. God’s plan was superior. The consequences of Sarah’s impatience were evident.

Sarah’s plan did not assist God, and God did not require her aid. He needed her to trust in His timing.

We look at this and think how silly Sarah was. Indeed, God did not need Sarah’s help. Her decision to help God brought forth Ishmael. Tensions in the Middle East stem from this decision several thousand years ago.

It’s disheartening to realize that we, as a collective, still fall into this trap. When God’s response appears delayed, we rush to assist Him. The outcome mirrors Sarah’s experience. We grapple with ‘Ishmael problems’ in our lives, families, and ministries.

Could you look around your life today? Do you have Ishmael problems from your attempt to help God? Maybe it’s a purchase you made to help God. Maybe it’s a problem that stems from when you helped God. Perhaps you brought a person in your life into a relationship that you knew was wrong. Likely, you cannot undo your decision; you can only decide not to end up here again.

Remember this: God never needs our help.

Let us not forget the lesson from Sarah’s story. When we take matters into our own hands, we may end up with an ‘Ishmael.’ But when we trust in God’s timing, we receive an ‘Isaac.’

Let your prayer be, ‘God, I will wait on you. I will refrain from trying to assist you again.’

Remember, His promises are sure. His ways are perfect.

Yours for the harvest,

John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.

 

By John O’Malley

None would ever question our Savior’s kindness. He was kind to the blind, the lame, the stranger, the widow, and the orphan.

Jesus wanted the children to have access to Him. He wanted those the disciples wanted to send away to remain. He wanted the lepers to be able to go home. He wanted the multitudes fed.

Kindness marked His spirit and actions.

John’s epistle reminds us that our love for Him is a reflection of His love for us. Jesus’ words, as recorded by John in his Gospel, echo this sentiment: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” John 13:35. Choosing kindness identifies me with Christ.

My kindness is not tied to someone else’s activities, attitude, or words. Kindness is a decision to obey and observe the commands in Scripture. Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Ephesians 4:32

Recently, I was challenged by six rude and unkind people in a row. I judged that they lacked couth. Then, the Holy Spirit convicted me, and I began to think how wrong I was. I thought people here were rude and wrote it off to culture, but they needed Jesus.

Yes, they needed Jesus. But they also needed John to be kind first. Kindness needs no catalyst. Kindness is a choice. Kindness must be my choice.

I wondered how many times I had withheld kindness until I saw how they were going to treat me. Yet, last week, I learned that I must be kind first.

You model Christ in your place of service. Choose to be kind first.

Yours for the harvest,

John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.

 

By John O’Malley

God recently opened a new door of ministry for my friend. She wrote me about this opportunity and her hesitancy and feelings of inadequacy for the task.

I carefully read her words.

She did not think she was qualified. She did not believe she could do the new assignment. She felt there, indeed, was someone better suited for God’s open door.

Scripture is replete with similar moments for God’s people. Jeremiah, Esther, and Paul come to mind. Jeremiah heard God say, do not say I am a child. Mordecai told Esther, God made you for this moment. Paul’s writings tell us about open doors and adversaries (1 Corinthians. 16:9). He also spoke of open doors for preaching but knew no rest. (2 Corinthians 2:12). Later, Paul spoke of a door but mentioned his prison bonds.

God is in the door opening business. He wants His plan carried out, His purpose fulfilled, and His message delivered. The future of souls lies beyond His open door.

When I replied to my friend who wrote, I said, “God opened a door for you; you don’t have the authority to close God’s open doors.”

Like my teacher friend, you may discover that you have an open door and a heart filled with anxiety over any number of human reactions before you. Beyond the open door at which you are staggering, hesitating, or doubting, there is a God Who sees your horizon; He has prepared the way for you!

Walk. Through. The. Door.

If you wonder if you can trust Him, you can.
If you wonder if He can provide, He can.
If you wonder if He knows what’s ahead, He does.
If you wonder if His plan is better than yours, it is.
You can always trust Him.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.

 

by John O’Malley

Years ago, I came across a statement by Charles Spurgeon in his Morning and Evening devotional. He repeated the quote in a New Park Street Pulpit Sermons sermon.

The quote helps my mind understand inexplicable situations and human wondering. The quote from the New Park Pulpit series is:

“Remember this, had any other condition been better for you than the one in which you are, God would have put you there. He puts you in the most suitable place, and if you had had the picking of your lot half-an-hour afterwards, you would have come back and said, “Lord, choose for me, for I have not chosen the best after all.”

We, in ministry, can easily allow our minds to wonder in moments of attrition, moments of despair, and moments of difficulty. We wonder, did I miss it? Did God miss it? What is happening?

I don’t know what is happening in your ministry this week, month, or year. But I am sure, had any other condition been better, God would have put you there.

Perhaps your current affliction concerns people, physical health, or financial stability. Whatever your concern about where you are, know this: had any other condition been better, divine love would have put you there.

Yours for the harvest,

John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.

 

by John O’Malley

Recently, an interviewer asked me:
“What was one of the biggest changes for you as you transitioned from the mission field to directing or helping missionaries and churches in the area of missions?”

My answer:
Missions-work, Gospel-work, and people-work are not about the worker. It is about the One for Whom we work.

Changes are His decision. His changes for me meant He chose to make me better for Him, His work, His glory, and the good of the Gospel.

Phil 1:13-17 teaches two things about changes, challenges, and obstacles: hardships set our determination to the furtherance of the Gospel, and hardships establish our positioning for the defense of the Gospel.

In leadership, whether Pastor, Church Planter, or Missionary Helper, if I know God picked my context, He believes I am capable of the task. How I feel has nothing to do with my responsibility.

The big change? Practically speaking, it was nil.

Yes, geography changed. Yes, accents and culture changed. Responsibility changed. But the work of the Gospel means I am where the Lord of the Harvest placed me. If I spend all my time worrying about how change affects me and not what He is doing in me, then the change becomes my focus.

I don’t want that.

I want to be poised or set for the furtherance of the Gospel and the defense of the Gospel. I am not more significant than the Gospel. I don’t want my hardships to be my testimony. I don’t wish the way people treated me to be my testimony.

My daily questions should be, will I further the Gospel today? Did anything I faced yesterday change me in my defense of the Gospel?
Gospel work is about Him, not about me.

If we fixate on the personal impact of a context or condition, our stories supplant the Gospel. Our message is the Gospel. No matter where He puts us or what He asks us to do. Our story is what He has for all of humanity.

Big changes? My hope is I am changed more into His image and less into my image.

What is your response to change, challenges, and obstacles?
Do they strengthen your resolve?
Do you permit them to advance or further the Gospel?
Do you allow them to solidify your defense of the Gospel?
May God give us biblical responses to changes, challenges, and obstacles.

Yours for the harvest,

John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.

 

by John O’Malley

Is your mental and emotional state healthy enough to be an effective witness in your community right now? Are you in a good place mentally and emotionally for your family and ministry?

These are questions I ask myself from time to time.

Are you emotionally, mentally, and spiritually prepared for the Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day season? Whether there are holidays upon us or not, it is good to take such inventory.

The emotional distance between family in America and home on your mission field creates mental anxiety. This anxiety can be resolved in Christ and His word. The season between now and New Year’s Day can exponentially magnify this distance. Take heed.

In the spirit of the season of giving thanks and gifts, I urge you to find an hour with the Lord as you enter this season.

• • • Synchronize your mind with the mind of Christ.
    • Set reasonable boundaries for your time.
    • Establish a goal to do one thing with your family that demonstrates their value to you.
    • Take time for your spouse.
    • Choose a passage from the word of God to memorize.

I am concerned for you as a missionary. I am concerned for your well-being and emotional longevity. It is proper to assess how we are thinking, on what we are thinking, and our overthinking, which creates anxiety.

Please consider these matters.

Yours for the harvest,

John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.

 

by John O’Malley

A friend asked in an online ministry forum:
“I have two young couples that are just preparing to start deputation. They have both been seeking help and advice on things they should know or do. What do you wish someone had told you when you were first starting out?”

Dear Couples interested in serving Christ,
I am thrilled to hear of your desire to serve the Lord. Your calling distinguishes you and will dispatch you to a place unfamiliar and to a people unknown.
Your friend said you seek advice about missionary service. Here is my advice to you:

1. 1. Give more than you take.
   2. Love more than you are given love.
   3. Pursue excellence.
   4. Show your heart; people will catch your vision.
   5. Give grace to everyone, including yourselves.
   6. Be honest with statistics. Remember, it’s the call of God that validates you. Your statistical data does not validate your need to be on your field.
   7. Meet each week with your pastor.
   8. Stay in the Word.
   9. Consider your family’s spiritual growth if you are preaching the same message each week.
   10. Tell God everything. He listens.
   11. When asked about hardships, speak of blessings: light afflictions last moments.
   12. When asked to speak of the worst experience, speak of the reward of serving. Plumbers have bad experiences too. One bad day of deputation is better than 10 seconds in Hell.
   13. Schedule time for fun.
   14. Discipline your children at home so the children only need a calm word for guidance.
   15. Eat with discipline, discernment, and discretion.
   16. Schedule 90% of your meetings within a 300-mile radius of your home.
   17. Smile.
   18. Live and act as if you serve the Sustainer of life. You do. Do all things with this awareness. He loves you.
   19. Give 40 hours per week to contacting churches for support. The people who support you will work forty hours per week at their job.
   20. Slothfulness is a sin.
   21. Love God.
   22. Love Others.
   23. Never seek revenge. “If you can revenge yourself, DON’T. If you could do it as easily as open your hand, keep it shut. If one bitter word could end the argument, ask for grace to spare that bitter word.” (Spurgeon)
   24. Never criticize. Ever.
   25. Never gossip. Ever.

What is your advice?

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.

 

by John O’Malley

Thirty-nine years ago this month, I began in ministry. On the anniversary of this event, I decided to write what I learned. I wrote these lessons to help me process, reflect, and remember the goodness of God over these years.

I know I can say with confidence thirty-nine years later:

1. 1. I chose not to see the scars, just the grace applied.
   2. I decided not to feel the bruises, just the mercy received.
   3. I chose not to remember pains, just the healing.
   4. I stood by gravesides and knew God’s comfort.
   5. I sat with the dying and knew hopeful sorrow.
   6. I sat with the grieving and saw their grace in grief.
   7. I was blessed to have friends and receive their forgiveness.
   8. I was blessed to walk the most challenging paths but was never alone.
   9. I was blessed to know a real friend.
   10. I learned that an enemy’s view of me is not God’s.
   11. I learned those who made themselves enemies can become teachers, helpers, and friends.
   12. I received mercy when I erred with friends.
   13. I received grace for my faults and failures from friends.
   14. I saw betrayal and loyalty from the same person.
   15. I learned hurt can become hope.
   16. I learned disappointment can become a classroom.
   17. I learned that the truth from the inner circle is better than flattery from any source.
   18. I knew love because of my wife.
   19. I held life’s greatest joy: the birth of a child.
   20. I saw God enlarged my heart when I met our daughter-in-law.
   21. I shed unfamiliar tears upon the news of a granddaughter joining our family.
   22. I learned life’s greatest treasures are the relationships made.
   23. I learned the greatest gift you can give your spouse, family, ministry, and supporters is being mentally and emotionally healthy and self-aware.
   24. I learned prayer is the best response.
   25. I learned it is best to believe in others.
   26. I found forgiveness is better.
   27. I found life is too precious to spend time pouting.
   28. I learned when uncertain to do the next right thing.
   29. I discovered a child’s smile is life-giving.
   30. I learned failures are not final.
   31. I learned forgiveness is a choice.
   32. I learned I do not need a man’s approval.
   33. I learned holding the same doctrinal position is more straightforward than changing positions.
   34. I learned a friend stays.
   35. I learned that when God pauses my plans, He works out His plan.
   36. I learned believing in people inspires them.
   37. I learned responding in kind is different from responding with kindness.
   38. I learned the cruelest and kindest words can come from the same people, including me.
   39. I learned childhood wounds do not have to hinder you; they can help you.
   40. I learned that I choose when I can get over whatever hurt me.
   41. I found remembering the delights of the Lord is better than remembering life’s disappointments.
   42. I learned the hope of watching God work tomorrow is better than today’s frustration.
   43. I learned discouragement is a luxury I cannot afford.
   44. I know God is faithful.
   45. I know God gives emotions.
   46. I know God can.
   47. I know God uses afflictions.
   48. I know God’s word is true.
   49. I know to everything, there is a season.
   50. I know applying grace is easier than holding a grudge.

Does one of these lessons resonate with you? What lessons have you learned that you want to share with me? I would love to read them.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

If this article has been an encouragement to you, you can email Bro. O’Malley to let him know.

 

by John O’Malley

God inhabits a place called eternity.
We occupy a space called the present.
God, Who dwells in eternity, can work in your present.
The contrast between your daily life and His work creates an exciting dynamic for man and a tension between our now and His when.
This tension will create either a dependency on Him or ourselves.
Wait for Him; He’s worth it.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

by John O’Malley

In my recent studies on developing a high view of God, I began my study with John the Baptist. I started with John 3:30, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

You cannot have a high view of God without realizing:

• • Your life must be about Christ and His cross.
  • You must make room for God on the throne of your life.
  • Submission to God is your goal.
  • You can measure your high view of God by the depth and breadth of respect for God.

A high view of God means:

• • I respect His name and nature.
  • I revere who He is in creation and salvation.
  • I submit to His holiness and His character.
  • I live by His righteousness and judgments.
  • I know and do His will and live by His Word.

It is easy for leaders, parents, and spouses to default to their training in Theology. We could say, yes, of course, He is God overall. But do we live with a high view of God?

This concept of having a high view of God is not isolated to John the Baptist.

• • Isaiah held a high view of God.
  • The Psalmist held a high view of God.
  • John the Revelator held a high view of God.
  • Job held a high view of God.
  • Nehemiah held a high view of God.
  • Paul held a high view of God.

A high view of God manifests in how I see God, myself through God’s eyes, and others in light of how I see God and myself.

Look around your heart. How much room have you made for God? Does your verbal profession of a high view of God match your walk with God? When you lead your family, is it with a high view of God? When you lead your ministry, is it from a place of reverence for God? Do people see your high view of God when you walk about your community? Does God see your high view of Him? Do you live by all his judgments, statutes, and commands?

May our high view of God set an example to all within our circle of influence.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley