Category: From Our President

By John O’Malley

Thirty years ago, my father passed away. A few months after his death, our son John, then three, said, “Dad, tell me stories about Grandpa; I think I am forgetting him.”

John’s words touched my heart. His words reminded me of Solomon, another son who wrote under inspiration. When Solomon wrote of memories, he said, “The memory of the just is blessed: But the name of the wicked shall rot.” (Proverbs 10:7)

Memories. They are precious. Memories are the thoughts we play in the theatre of our minds. Memories help us see yesterday, help us get through today, and keep our eyes fixed on tomorrow.

When we replay memories, our memories keep our dear ones near to our hearts after they’ve left us.

Rehearsing memories helps us process our grief. When we recall such memories, we remind ourselves of our goodly heritage.

The death of Pastor Wingard on March 12, 2021, brings this thought to the forefront: I do not want a generation of missionaries ever to forget the Founder of our missions agency.

At Pastor Wingard’s funeral, I shared my tribute. I will share it below.

I want to hear your tribute. I want to read your tribute. I want our tributes shared, so people will know our heritage, understand our history, and serve their generation by the will of God. (Acts 13:36)

On our website, you can post your tribute and your pictures. We want Pastor Wingard’s family to read and see your tributes. The missions office will publish these tributes in a book for Mrs. Wingard and give one to each of their children to have for their families.

Please click this link and share your testimony of memorable moments you had with Pastor Wingard. Please share any photos you have. We want these books to be special. Your tribute and photo will ensure the stories which made World Wide will not be lost because we did not tell them.

If you have any complications posting your tribute, you may email your tribute to Rebekah Tolley, and she will get it posted for you.

MY TRIBUTE:

I feel pity for a world where people will live and die without Pastor Bill Wingard’s inspiration and influence in their generation.

Today I share my memories with you. They are memories which remind me of his character, his attributes, and his noblest intentions to be like Christ.

For many of us here, we know he would blush at this attention paid him. Yet, we are here today with hearts full of memories.

My Memories:
I have four thoughts which summarize my 28-year relationship with this dear man of God. I saw him and learned:

1. He Loved — flawlessly
2. He Taught — biblically
3. He Prayed — sincerely
4. He Led — graciously.

1. He Loved — Flawlessly
We met for the first time in June of 1993. In Pastor Wingard, I met a gentle soul and a Christian gentleman. He spoke words of encouragement in my hour of need. He took our family in and loved us.

Pastor Wingard made room for us and gave us a place to belong.

My son said, “Dad, Pastor Wingard always treated me like one of his grandkids; he fully accepted me into the family.” As John’s dad, I cannot tell you how many times over these nearly three decades Pastor asked me, “How’s my little buddy,” and after John married, “and how is his wife?” Most recently, he asked’ “How is little John?”

Many times, Pastor would say to me, “Here’s some money. Take your family to get some ice cream. Take time to rest.”

He loved God’s servants.

He loved the discouraged preachers, displaced preachers, and preachers hurt by the ministry.

If you were a preacher’s kid, you knew He loved preacher’s kids.

In any given service at Calvary, you will see many reclaimed men, women, and children. Why? Because Dr. Wingard stopped like the Good Samaritan to love the broken, to lift the beaten, and to look for the bruised so he could help them.

He loved those who served him in restaurants. He would leave handwritten notes on the back of the receipt. He was careful to love the lost and leave tracts with them.

He just loved. I never saw him as perfect. I just knew I wanted to love others like him.

2. He Taught — Biblically
He taught everywhere. If you only knew the man in the pulpit, you missed his greatest teaching and preaching. He taught intentionally and unintentionally wherever he went.

Years ago, Dr. Wingard and I rode together to Virginia Beach. We were going to see a missionary who faced brain surgery. In the car, he taught me about the seasons of the ministry. I sat mesmerized as I heard a gentle teacher speak from his heart what he learned. He did not come across as bold; he was rather meek. He spoke as a fellow-student sharing what he learned.

He taught each year in our annual Family Fellowship Week. He taught with conviction. He spoke with compassion. His obvious devotion to the Lord made me say, “I want to be a better Christian.”

He taught more than his outline.

He showed more than he intended.

He committed himself to faithful men who would be able to teach others also.

He preached with fervor. I remember a Family Fellowship Week in Shelby at Faith Baptist Church, my home church, a few years ago. Dr. Wingard was fixated on Christ; he titled the message, Our Wonderful Savior. Click here to listen to the message.

He spoke of focusing on the Whom of our lives, not the what of our lives. He spoke with such compassion and conviction. We learned from him, and we loved him for it.

He taught me for 28 years as I worked with him. He advised me on how to lead in difficulty.

He listened before he spoke. He listened with empathy and compassion. He would think of all sides of a matter and speak with clarity as he gave the directive, decision, or leadership I needed.

He taught:

• In matters of moral failures, show grace.
• In matters of someone’s doctrinal compromise, show conviction. He would say of the person who changed positions, “Brother John, we settled this a long time ago; this is not who we are as a mission.”
• In matters of preference, show compassion.
• In matters of an opponent’s obstinance, show mercy and gave them a wide berth.
• In matters of battle, know which hills are worth dying on and let God fight your battles.

When I saw something and formed a definite opinion, he urged me, “Brother John, always give to another man the same liberty you reserve for yourself.”

He taught us to love God, love people, and smile. I will miss his smile.
As Kipling said, “He could talk with crowds and never lose his virtue. He could walk with kings and never lost the common touch.”

He taught everyone is worth reaching and reclaiming. He taught Bible-preaching is paramount.

He just taught. I never saw him as perfect. I just knew I wanted to teach others like him.

3. He prayed — Sincerely
I cannot tell you the number of times I watched him pray. The location did not matter. He prayed on sidewalks, elevators, on the phone, in the car, in a parking lot, in hospital rooms, his office, and the aisles of a church.

You know, if you ever mentioned a prayer request, he prayed. Right then. Right there. When he dropped to one knee or put his hand on your shoulder, you knew he had a direct connection to God. When his head bowed, he opened a portal to God, and you knew his prayer was not hindered.

He never prayed to appear pious. He was quite the opposite. He was sincere and only wanted to tell God what was on your heart.

I listened to him pray many times. I loved the simplicity and sincerity of his prayers.

He just prayed. I never saw him as perfect. I just knew I wanted to pray for others like him.

4. He led — Graciously

He led World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions. He wanted to assist churches in getting their missionaries to the field.

He led as a shepherd with oversight and love.

He led as a husband with gentleness. I preached on a Wednesday night in January 2021 and walked into church to his office with him and Mrs. Arlie. Pastor noticed Mrs. Arlie’s hair needed a little teasing out. He stopped right there and teased out her hair. I was so moved by his graciousness and love.

He led as a father and grandfather: his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren are a tribute to this patriarch.

Watching his leadership for almost three decades, I learned:

He led with love, grace, and mercy.
He led by exhortation and scriptural example.
He led by conviction and a godly character.
He led by principle and with purity.

He just led. I never saw him as perfect. I just knew I wanted to lead like him.

He loved, taught, prayed, and led. 

In preparing this tribute, I recalled a line from Pastor Phineas Gurley’s sermon at President Abraham Lincoln’s funeral.

“He is dead; but the God in whom he trusted lives, and He can guide and strengthen his successor as He guided and strengthened him. 

He is dead; but the memory of his virtues, of his wise and patriotic counsels and labors, of his calm and steady faith in God lives; these are precious, and will be a power for good.”

–Dr. Phineas Gurley of Abraham Lincoln at Lincoln’s funeral

My last time with Pastor Wingard was in February 2021. It was just his son, Billy, Brother Whetstone, Pastor Wingard, and me. Seated in his reclining chair, he asked us to wait a moment. He wanted to stand and hug us both goodbye. He spent great energy and withstood sharp pain, but he stood.

I felt in my heart, “This is as a king bowing to his subjects.” He hugged Brother Whetstone. He hugged me. He did not just hug my body, he hugged my heart.

My mother said at my father’s funeral as she walked past his casket and patted it, “I will meet you in the morning.”

Pastor Wingard, I will meet you in the morning.

by John O’Malley

The phrase, I Serve Others, captures all we want to do for the Lord at WWNTBM. Over the next few months, I will write on the values we hold dear in the phrase, I Serve Others. We have already looked at the words inspire, open, tender, helper, and edify.

This month, I am continuing our core values phrase “I Serve Others” series. The second R in I Serve Others stands for Reliable.

The sense of the word reliable is to be consistently good in quality or performance. Someone who is able to be trusted is counted as reliable. The Bible word for reliable is faithful.

1 Samuel 2, while Eli was High Priest and his two sons polluted their office in the temple, God told Eli what would happen to his sons. God also said He would raise up someone who was faithful. The sense of the word faithful in this text is someone who is reliable.

In 1 Samuel 2:35, God explained what He wanted in His servants. He said He wanted reliable people to serve. He wanted people who would know His mind and heart. The servant He chose would do what was in the heart and mind of God. God promised He too would be faithful or reliable to the servant He would raise up.

I want to consider two things this month about the core value of being reliable. First, consider with me God’s reliability to us. Then I want you to evaluate your reliability in your service to Him.

Consider God’s faithfulness or reliability:

• God Himself is faithful — he does not change. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
• God’s Word is faithful — He’s given a more sure word of prophecy.
• God’s presence is reliable — He’s promised never to leave us nor forsake us
• God’s power is reliable — He shows Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is perfect toward Him.
• God’s justice is reliable — He is the Judge of the whole earth Who will do right.

Consider our faithfulness or reliability:

• Do the people to whom I bring the Gospel find me reliable in my witness?
• Does my family find me reliable in my promises and availability?
• Do my supporting churches find me reliable in communication and connecting with them?
• Does my spouse see me as reliable in my biblical mandate for my responsibility in our marriage?
• Does everyone with whom I interact see my word as reliable?

We are at our best when we are faithful or reliable to our Master, in our ministries, and in our marriages.

At the missions office, we desire to be reliable to you. We want to honor your requests. We want to be reliable to pray for you when you share with us your heart’s burden. We want to be reliable to be considerate and compassionate when you face challenges.

I believe in the work you are doing for Christ. I want to see you accomplish God’s goals for you and the people to whom He called you.

Let us be reliable.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

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

by John O’Malley

The phrase, I Serve Others, captures all we want to do for the Lord at WWNTBM. Over the next few months, I will write on the values we hold dear in the phrase, I Serve Others. We have already looked at the words inspire, open, tender, and helper.

Demolition is easier than construction. When a worker demolishes, they approach the job site and see their goal is to tear down what they see. Swinging a sledgehammer does not require accuracy; one just needs to make sure they leave nothing standing.

Paul wrote in Ephesians that God gave leaders to the church. He gave these leaders to His church to do three distinct actions. Leaders are for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and for the edification of the saints.

We all work with people. God assigned us to a people. The passage in Ephesians 4 discloses the three tasks of all leaders. Our task is to bring people in our care to a state of completion. We are to perform the tasks assigned to us. We are to edify people.

The people we serve, like ourselves, are an incomplete construction project. Our role as a leader is to add to the building progress in the lives of those around us. Every time you connect with people in your ministry, you are to add to the building of their lives for the glory of God.

Our calling is to build people up and help them become what God intended. If we are out of calibration with God and His Word, we easily can become leaders who demolish. We can demolish with our words, tone, and spirit. We can criticize and complain about these incomplete projects around us.

As a missionary, fulfilling our God-given roles as an evangelist and pastor and teacher, we must consciously choose to edify. We must build people up. The world is busy tearing people down. When people come to your place of ministry, the place where you carry out the work God gives you to do, make sure they edify each person.

When you call the office, our goal is to edify you. We want to build you up. Like you, we all are incomplete building projects. Our staff wants to add value to your life by adding hope, courage, and compassion in the work you are doing for Christ.

I preface the “I Serve Others” phrase with the words, “We are at our best when…” I want to be at my best, always. I want to build others with my words. I want to treat others as Christ treats me. I want to edify everyone.

Is God pleased with your task of edifying others? How are we doing at the home office with edifying you? How can we improve? “I serve others” is not a slogan; it is our mission. In fact, as servants of the Lord, God intends and expects us to edify.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

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

by John O’Malley

The phrase, I Serve Others, captures all we want to do for the Lord at WWNTBM. Over the next few months, I will write on the values we hold dear in the phrase, I Serve Others. We have already looked at the words inspire, open, and tender.

The H in I Serve Others stands for Helper.

In the book of John, Jesus described the Holy Spirit’s role in the life of the believer. The word He used was Comforter. The Comforter would be a helpful presence in the absence of the Son. The Comforter would come in the name of the Father. The Holy Spirit would teach us all we needed to know of what Christ taught. The Holy Spirit would testify of the Godhead. The presence of the Holy Spirit came after the ascension.

God designed the activities of the Holy Spirit to help us. When our hearts are confused, He helps us understand. When our hearts are overwhelmed, He comforts us with His presence and promises. When our minds are overloaded and we cannot think clearly, He makes His way known. When burdened and dismayed, He comes with a yoke which is easy and a burden which is light.

The Holy Spirit is God’s helper for the believer.

In the WWNTBM family, the Executive Board, the Administration and Staff, and every missionary family know the help the Gospel brings. Each day you are serving in hundreds of locations.

We believe God assembled all of us to help you. Our desire is to help you with the technical and logistical so you can serve. Our passion is to help you with the domestic-based tasks so you can focus on the Great Commission.

Each week in our staff meeting, we read or recite our purpose. Our purpose is:

We serve God’s Great Commission partners so they can focus on giving and going.

We know God’s partners are the churches which send, the churches which support, and the missionaries who are sent.

Our staff of seven arrive in their offices each day to help you. There is no request too odd, too difficult, or too minimal; we love and live to help you. Please ask. Do not serve without all you need to do Great Commission work.

We want to be a helper of Gospel workers around the world. We want to be your helper.

Jesus made it clear; the simple task of giving water to a believer counts. For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. (Mark 9:41)

At WWNTBM, we take this passage and reminder to heart. No request is too burdensome. No request is a bother. No request is inconvenient.

We are here to help you.

Happy New Year!
Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

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

by John O’Malley

The phrase, I Serve Others, captures all we want to do for the Lord at WWNTBM. Over the next few months, I will write on the values we hold dear in the phrase, I Serve Others. We have already looked at the words inspire and open.

Mary held the infant Jesus. God, robed in flesh as a newborn babe, is now in her arms. He Who spoke the world into existence, she now cradles.

Love fills the stable as first-time parents bring a Child, who is Christ the Lord, into a world in the midst of crisis, conflict, and confusion. Shepherds will soon arrive. Mary and her espoused husband will share this precious Babe with the world. He came to save His people from their sin.

As I see it, Joseph looks lovingly. Mary returns the look with understanding. Yes, their world changed. But, even more so, the whole world changed forever. Tenderness is etched in every word as well as in the silence of the scene.

Yes, tonight begins His journey to the cross. Mary will be present for each significant event of His life and ministry. He will become sin for us Who knew no sin. The suffering He will face will be harsh, tortuous, and violent. Yet, the lady who wrapped Jesus in swaddling clothes has only tenderness for this child of the Holy Ghost.

The tender spirit of the first Christmas night is the spirit we must have in every aspect of our lives and ministries. When the world is in conflict around you, be tender. When confusion abounds in your community, be tender. When there is trouble in your church and home, be tender. When there are fear and worry, be tender.

Our desire at World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions is to manifest tenderness. We desire to communicate with tenderness. We want to be a voice of calm, peace, and tenderness when you enlist our assistance.

When you are at your best, are you tender? When you are less-than-your-best, are you tender?

This Christmas season will produce many emotions. Let the tenderness of the Savior’s birth be in the tone, attitude, and spirit of your communication amongst all with whom you interact.

Merry Christmas.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

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

by John O’Malley

The phrase, I Serve Others, captures all we want to do for the Lord at WWNTBM. Over the next few months, I will write on the values we hold dear in the phrase, I Serve Others. Last month, we looked at the word inspire.

This month, I write about the letter O in the phrase “I serve others.” O introduces the value of being Open. The culture of World Wide must be one where our eyes are open to see, our hearts are open to care, our minds are open to think, and our hands are open for you.

Look around your home and place of ministry. Has the ministry or an unpleasant person caused you to close the tools of ministry God gave you? We must never close these God-given tools of ministry (eyes, heart, mind, and hands). If we close these innate tools of ministry, we may miss God-orchestrated moments of personal and spiritual opportunity.

The people you serve on your field deserve your best. They deserve a missionary leader whose hand is open to give, whose ears are open to listen, whose heart is open to care, and whose mind is open to thoughtfulness.

I want the culture of the office of World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions to be we are open to your suggestions, ideas, and thoughts. Psalm 34:15, “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.”

Like God, are your eyes open to those around you? Are your ears open to their cry? Is your heart still open to the very people you promoted on deputation and furlough to your supporters? Never allow closed hands, ears, hearts, minds, or eyes to make you turn away from those God placed you there to serve.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

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

by John O’Malley

In recent months, I shared with you the core values of World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions. These values are best remembered with the acrostic: SERVE. We believe we are at our best when we are Selfless, Eager, Responsible, Valuable, and Exceptional.

We attempt to exemplify these traits in every communication with you. We review these values every week in our staff meeting. We inspect ourselves weekly to make sure we meet what we expect of ourselves.

The acrostic SERVE fits in a larger sentence acrostic: I Serve Others. This phrase, I Serve Others, captures all we want to do for the Lord at WWNTBM. Over the next seven months, I will write on the values we hold dear in the phrase, I Serve Others.

The first value of this phrase is the word Inspire.

We choose daily to inspire or depress people with our words. You meet people in your community, your church, your ministry. These people need words which will build them, better them, and bless them. It is hard to choose the right words. Our emotional health, our spiritual discipline, and our temperament all play a role in whether we will use words which inspire or words which depress or deflate people.

Solomon’s words help me and haunt me: Death and life are in the power of the tongue: And they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof. (Proverbs 18:21) My words will either kill someone or will give them life.

Think of all the words you used this week. How many words made someone die a little on the inside. How many of your words breathed life into a person? Did your spoken or written words wound an entire segment of society, a child, a spouse, a co-worker, or a friend?

Perhaps you are like me. I prefer to hear words which give life. I dislike hearing words which cause me to die a little on the inside. I despise it even more when I choose words which cause people to die on the inside.

Since heart surgery, I’ve given thought to an epitaph, whether etched in stone on a marker, or on hearts of the people I met. I want it to be, John pointed people to Jesus and inspired people.

Our words can suffocate or strengthen. Our words can inspire or depress. It is easier to use words which hurt others. It is a challenge and a choice to use words to breathe life into people.

Our staff at WWNTBM want to inspire you every time we speak with you. It is easy to speak words of life to you because you inspire us. You inspire us with your kindness, tenderheartedness, and forgiveness. (Ephesians 4:32) You inspire us with your faithfulness when we see you facing trauma, trouble, and trials. You inspire us with your words. Your words speak life into our staff.

Please know, wherever you are in the world today, I believe in you. I believe in the work God called you to do for Him. I believe you are the right person in the right place at the right time. I believe the best about you. I believe you can do all God called you to do.

There are plenty of mean things to say about mean people. Let us be people who inspire others to go further, do more, and be who God wants us to be.

I am inspired when I think of you!

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

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

by John O’Malley

This article is part six in a six-part series on the core values and culture of your missions office. Each article in this series focuses on the values we display when we are at our best. The five values are Selfless, Eager, Responsible, Valuable, and Exceptional.

Customer service experts teach the little things a company does for their customers are the things which make an enormous difference for their customers.

Enterprise Leasing once had an employee suggest they give a bottle of cold water to their cars’ renters. Now, you can expect a cold bottle of water at the time of rental.

The worldwide hotelier, The Ritz-Carlton, teaches their people they are ladies and gentlemen who serve ladies and gentlemen. One of their parking lot attendants who valet parked a guest’s car noticed the driver had a certain flavor of Gatorade (a sports beverage) in his cup holder. Upon check out, the parking attendant had a cold Gatorade of his preferred flavor, waiting in the customer’s cup holder.

Chick-fil-a, an American quick-serve restaurant, follows the same line of thinking as The Ritz-Carlton. The team members in their restaurants learn the value of replying when thanked, “My pleasure.” In the business world, some would say, these are exceptional gestures.

The business world should take note. Christ made clear in His Sermon on the Mount the exceptional principles He expected of His kingdom’s subjects. In Matthew five, we read:
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away. Matthew 5:39–42

Notice the exceptional expectations Christ shares. He expects when we have a loss of dignity that we turn the other cheek. The Lord expects when threatened (sued for our shirt), we go beyond all expectations and give them our outer coat. When compelled by authorities, we are to go the second mile. When people ask, we give. When people need to borrow, we do not ignore them.

When Christ said these words, I am sure His words raised eyebrows amongst His hearers. The areas of exceptionality covered personal, legal, governmental, and financial matters. God calls His people to exceptionality.

When we serve you, we believe every communication, every interaction, every transaction must reach the threshold Jesus set. Choosing to be exceptional in life, ministry, marriage, and with your children will never fail to pay off. When we are exceptional with our co-workers, our church people, the heathen, and each other, we look like Christ requires.

Try this. This month, look for people who may seem prickly and do something exceptional for them. Anyone can be exceptional to the pleasant people in their lives. It takes sacrifice to be exceptional and Christlike.

If we ever miss the mark of being selfless, eager, responsible, valuable, or exceptional, I want to know so we can improve our service to you.

It is a joy to SERVE with you.
Yours for the harvest,

John O’Malley

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

by John O’Malley

This article is part five in a six-part series on the core values and culture of your missions office. Each article in this series focuses on the values we display when we are at our best. The five values are Selfless, Eager, Responsible, Valuable, and Exceptional.

Two hundred warriors were so faint they could not follow David, their leader. They waited by a brook called Besor while David took other warriors to fight a battle. David recovered the people and possessions stolen by the Philistines. David spoiled the enemies. The two hundred weary men met David on his return. David greeted them.

David’s victory in the battle over the Philistines yielded a spoil. The carnal men in David’s army said they would not share the spoil of war with the weary. These complaining malcontents felt those who stayed behind should only get from the spoils their once-stolen wives and children. These men felt those who remained and did not go into battle should take their wives and kids and go away.

David taught the warriors a lesson on seeing value in others. David taught them: the battle we fought was the Lord’s. David reminded them: we did not get these spoils on our own; God gave us the spoils. As a king and warrior, David taught our Lord preserved us in battle. God gave the enemies into our hands.

David dismissed the negative words. His message was simple: everybody is valuable for who they are and not for what they do. This moment led David to declare a new statute and ordinance in Israel. When David spoke of the men who stayed back and the men who advanced, David did not differentiate or discriminate; the men were all warriors to David.

How David looked at all the warriors is how I see the principle of being valuable.

Valuableness is a core principle I ask our staff to practice. I want our staff to add value to you and everyone we connect with on your behalf. I want all to see value, not by a status (deputation, furlough, medical leave, retired, or semi-retired, church planter, education, medical or orphanages), but by their worth to God. If we are in missions together, we are together and not segmented.

In ministry, you will have many people with whom you will connect and contact. Make sure you see everyone as valuable. Make sure you view others as valuable as God sees them.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

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

by John O’Malley

Click below to view the video version of this devotional.

This article is part four in a six-part series. Each article in this series focuses on the values we display when we are at our best. The five values are Selfless, Eager, Responsible, Valuable, and Exceptional.

The family of Kish’s female donkeys wandered away. Kish wanted the donkeys home. The donkeys were valuable for breeding and riding. Kish sent his son, Saul, and a servant to find the family’s donkeys. Saul and the servant were assigned a responsibility: seek the female donkeys and bring them home.

Saul’s responsibility was to do whatever it took, go wherever necessary, adjust his course as needed, and finish the mission. Saul’s relationship with his father meant he had the higher calling to find the donkeys and please his father. Saul sought the donkeys and kept his father’s heart close to him.

God used Kish to accomplish His will for Saul and Israel.

Saul found more than the missing donkeys. Saul saw God’s man — Samuel. Saul also learned God’s will for his life. He discovered God had more for him on the journey than to find the missing donkeys.

God does the same with us. He mobilizes us to fulfill an assignment, and while completing the task, we find God had more for us than the one destination.

God assigned you to seek souls. Your church commissioned you to fulfill a divine assignment. Your responsibility is to go wherever is necessary and adjust your course to accomplish God’s mission.

At first, you thought what you would find on the mission were eternal addresses would be changed, an indigenous church planted, and leave a spiritual legacy for the Lord’s glory.

You may realize now, on God’s missionary assignment, you found more than the “donkeys.” You found God’s assignment bigger than you could ever imagine. Perhaps, like Saul, you discovered more than the souls to whom He sent you. You found much about yourself, your family, and your God.

Responsibility is a significant aspect of missionary service. Responsibility is a massive part of our office culture at World Wide New Testament Baptist Missions.

Each month we perform thousands of tasks, receive hundreds of requests, and take scores of calls. Each task, request, and call we receive, we take as our divine responsibility. We commit ourselves to be responsible to God, the Executive Board, and you to help with your harvest work.

Being responsible means taking ownership of your request, following it through until resolved, and proactively finding solutions to assist you. We know we are at our best when we are responsible for the assignments you give us.

Each day each team member delights in fulfilling your request. We love to hear from you. When you have a need, we pray for you. When you rejoice, we rejoice with you. When you weep, we weep with you. Our responsibility to you is more than clerical; it is spiritual.

May God find us responsible whether we serve in the field or the office.

Yours for the harvest,
John O’Malley

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