Our Mission

 To present Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord to business and professional men and to develop Christian business and professional men to carry out the Great Commission.

John 4.34-35 observes, Jesus said, The food that keeps Me going is that I do the will of the One who sent Me, finishing the work He started. As you look around right now, wouldn’t you say that in about four months it will be time to harvest? Well, I’m telling you to open your eyes and take a good look at what’s right in front of you. These Samaritan fields are ripe. It’s harvest time!

Food is fuel, fuel necessary for accomplishing the goals we have for our life. Not enough food and food is all we think about. Too much food and we are unhappy physically becoming lethargic until the fullness goes away. Too little food and we will eat anything. Too much food and we become picky. Too little food and we become scrawny and weak. Too much food and we become fat and weak.

The Word of God fuels our ability, desire and commitment to the will of God which our bodies complete as the work of God. For too many Christians, unlike their Master, their food is not the Word of God leading them to want the will of God so that they give their best lives to the work of God.

So many men do not feed themselves from God’s Word daily so they are starving. The crumbs they receive once a week are too little to develop any strength for creating passion, energy or commitment to doing God’s will which is the building of His kingdom upon earth as it is in heaven. This explains the poverty of our impact upon our current culture. We lament about its downward spiral but do little to stop it preferring to watch it lethargically from the sidelines.

At the same time, we have an abundance of spiritual food. Books, radio, blogs, churches and Bibles provide God’s Word in an endless smorgasbord of truth and method. Daily, even hourly we could do nothing else but gorge ourselves from the table of teaching from God’s Word. Too many have become hearers only rather than doers of His Word, not realizing that unless we use that food we receive to exercise our faith we become fat, immobile and puffed up with knowledge but no fruit.

Again, we see the problem, we know what to do but are so heavy with information we are incapable of bringing transformation which is necessary for salvation to increase in our cities. Food is fuel.

God’s word is to be consumed by absorbing then applying to be returned to again and again for further supply so that we can do more work for His glory and our eternal reward.

His Opportunities

1. CBMC is trying something new in 2018: Monday Manna live. 10.00am Mike will explain today’s scripture in person. Catch it here
   
   
2. CBMC’s first special luncheon of the year is March 29th. Our speaker is Deloitte CFO Pete Shimer. Register HERE
   
   
3. Tuesday, March 20th  at the City Rescue Mission from noon until 1pm is your next CBMC Rescue Luncheon. This is your opportunity to serve lunch to the men and women who depend upon the Mission for their meal. Commit Here
   
   
4.  CEO’s, are you looking for a private group of fellow business owners for encouragement, support, and advice? CBMC offers such a group.  Contact Mike at mwinter@cbmc.com for more information
   
   
5. CBMC is looking for more ministry partners in 2018. Join the Team Today.  COMMIT now.

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

March 19, 2018

Perilous Pitfalls of Pride

by Jim Mathis

 Like cancer or high blood pressure, pride can be a silent killer. A few year ago, a song by singer/songwriter Roger Miller lamented the high divorce rate with a line that said, “It’s my belief pride is the chief cause in the decline in the number of husbands and wives.”

Pride is not only a principal cause of the breakup of relationships; it can also be the source of bad business deals, family conflicts, and wars. It can cause us to seek revenge and retaliation. “They shot first.” “That territory was ours before that happened.” “We want a better deal, a bigger piece of the pie.” “I was wronged.”

A number of years ago, I was standing at the counter of the coffeehouse I owned when an old friend walked in. He surveyed the menu on the wall and asked if I knew how to make all those things. I quickly responded that I had developed all the recipes and trained the baristas. So yes, I knew how to make the drinks. The fact that I still remember that conversation more than 15 years later tells me I was very guilty of pride in that moment. My ego was challenged and I felt the need to defend myself.

Perhaps I was feeling insecure, or just wanted to let him know that I was in control of the place – and that included the menu. I am confident that today I would have made a more lighthearted comment and would soon have forgotten about the incident. In fact, in a similar situation that came up recently, I just answered in the affirmative and smiled. It was a much better response. I like the advice of Proverbs 14:3, which says, “A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride, but the lips of the wise protect them.”

Pride presents its ugly head when we least expect it. It causes us to try to defend ourselves at the slightest challenge. It causes us to belittle others to build ourselves up through insults and put-downs. Harassment is generally caused by trying to build up ourselves while we are tearing down somebody else. We have been hearing a lot about sexual harassment in the workplace. Without seeking to oversimplify the recurring problem, it is often caused by a man trying to build up his own distorted view of masculinity or hide his own insecurity. “When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2).

However, there is another side to pride to consider. In Matthew 22:39, Jesus instructed us to love our neighbors as ourselves. In this command, Jesus was implying we need to love ourselves first to effectively love others. Pride causes us to take credit for our work; we take pride in our accomplishments and want to turn out quality work – work that we are proud for others to see. And pride encourages me to take care of my physical body.

Business people, and especially entrepreneurs, need to be able to promote themselves, but we must do it in such a way that pride does not become sin – centered on ourselves and poisoning relationships. There is a fine line between pride and arrogance, and between self-confidence and excessive pride. To know where those lines are requires wisdom and discernment. Humility, with strength, can be an elusive thing without God’s wisdom.

Jim Mathis is the owner of a photography studio in Overland Park, Kansas, specializing in executive, commercial and theatrical portraits, and operates a school of photography. He formerly was a coffee shop manager and executive director of CBMC in Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri.

CBMC Central Michigan 6011 W. St. Joseph Ste. 401 Lansing 48917  / 517 481 5996  lansing.cbmc.com

 MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

March 19, 2018

 Reflection/Discussion Questions

1. When you hear the word “pride,” especially within the context of the workplace, what is your initial reaction – positive or negative? Explain your answer.

1. What in your view is the difference between healthy, productive pride and the kind of pride that can cause conflict and damage relationships? Can you cite any examples you have observed?

1. How can we feel pride in who we are and the work we do in a good sense of the word, without crossing into the realm of arrogance, self-centeredness, and the temptation to promote ourselves at the expense of others?

1. Why do you think excessive pride is so commonly observed in the business and professional world, while genuine humility seems rare in comparison?

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more about this subject, consider the following passages:  Proverbs 12:9, 13:10, 15:33, 16:5,18-19, 18:12, 21:4, 22:4, 29:23

CBMC Central Michigan 6011 W. St. Joseph Ste. 401 Lansing 48917  / 517 481 5996  lansing.cbmc.com