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. 

Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will save it. For what does it benefit someone if he gains the whole world, and yet loses or forfeits himself? For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and that of the Father and the holy angels.” Luke 9:23-26 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/luk.9.23-26.CSB 

These verses move me like few others. I believe they summarize what God expects from us as Christians, how we are to live this Christian life of faith in Jesus, Who died in our place, taking our punishment for sin and rose from the dead, guaranteeing His promise to us that we will live forever in the kingdom of God. To complete the transaction, we must love our God by obeying His commands. 

This doesn’t mean our works save us, but it does mean that our works prove Jesus saves us. We must live as Jesus did if we are truly sons of God, just as Jesus had to live as the Son of God to become the Savior of men. So we are to take up our cross, denying our self-centered ways and ends to do God’s work on earth as we prepare to live forever in heaven. This work is winning people to Jesus and teaching them to obey His commands. It must be done where we live among those we know, and it must be done beyond our residence among those whom we don’t know. 

We must testify to Him locally and pray and give to those who take this message globally. Our entire vocation is to support our work, our life occupation, the advancement of the kingdom of God upon earth as it is in heaven. To live otherwise is to be a double-minded man who is lukewarm, loving both this world and the next. This is not possible for the man of God, the faithful man Jesus warns we must become throughout the gospels and the churches in Revelation, diligent to do His will, working for His glory, so that we might be received as good and faithful servants on that day we meet Him face to face. 

Our Opportunities 

1. Your opportunity to share the gospel with men through hearing the testimony of a fellow Christian business leader is set for March 21. All you need to do is commit to attending the date with a man who needs Jesus. Create a list of potential invitees and pray for them. Build your relational capital with them so they will accept your invite when you invite them to lunch. Learn more and register here.
2. CBMC National Men's Conference October 3-5 in St. Louis, MO. Plan to join and to meet new brothers who love the Lord and are serving Him in the marketplace across America. Mark your calendar busy for those dates then watch for details to come soon.
3. Join CBMC men for prayer and Bible study every Friday morning 8-9am at Panera Frandor 

CBMC Central Michigan 4407 W. St. Joe Hwy. Lansing 48917 / 517 481 5996 www.lansing.cbmc.com 

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

March 4, 2024 

To Arrive Safely, It Is Wise To Stay In The Boat

By Austin Pryor 

Even in the so-called secular business and professional world, the Bible has much to teach us. For instance, Matthew 14 recounts a time Jesus walked on water while His disciples were in a storm-tossed boat. One of them, Peter, ever the enthusiast, wanted to join Him. So, Jesus invited him to “come.” For the first few steps, all went well for Peter. But then he noticed the wind, became fearful, began to sink, and cried out for Jesus to save him. As He did so, Jesus admonished Peter for having too little faith. 

This story is a vivid call for all Christ-followers to leave our “comfort zones” and live boldly. In terms of financial investing, however, boldness is not always the best approach. Here are some reasons why managers of God’s resources usually are better served by staying on board. 

Stewardship, managing God’s wealth with His priorities and purposes in mind, is an assignment given every Christ-follower. Just as this story begins with Jesus giving His disciples an assignment (“Get into the boat and go ahead of Me to the other side”), God gives us wealth-related marching orders. We are on a journey during which we are forewarned we will encounter our share of trouble. “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Being a good steward of God’s resources requires obedience and faith. 

We need an investing ‘boat’ that will carry us safely across occasionally turbulent economic waters. In stewardship terms, our boat is a biblically sound, personalized money-management strategy. It guides our spending, saving, investing, and generosity. Every financial decision should flow from our plan, designed to assure our safe arrival at the end of our financial journey. 

Unlike Peter, we need to stay in our boat. Unfortunately, many followers of Jesus do not even take the time to build their financial “boat.” Or if they have one, they do not always stay in it. Being in the boat is usually a lot safer than being in churning waters. 

Expect the wind and storms. Jesus’ disciples knew ahead of time that heavy headwinds on the water were a possibility, if not a likelihood. In the same way, you know there will be challenges on your financial journey. These challenges can take many forms — unemployment, unexpected expenses, health setbacks, a bad economy, weak financial markets. We should anticipate and plan for them. 

Ignore the wind and focus on Christ. The wind can cause us to grow fearful and react inappropriately. We should stay in our “boat, and trust the One who has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). 

Failure is not an event, but rather a judgment about an event. The financial environment does not always offer positive reinforcement. Over the short term, we can lose money following our plan, or we can make money deviating from it. When this happens, we might see “good” behavior as a failure and “bad” behavior as being rewarded. The judgment we make about any financial “failure” must be made within the context of our personalized plan. Decisions consistent with our plan are “wins,” regardless of the immediate outcome. Over the long term, staying with a structured, unemotional strategy for making investment decisions will serve us well. If we are trusting God for direction, we have succeeded. 

Austin Pryor has more than 40 years of experience advising investors and is the founder of the Sound Mind Investing newsletter and website. He is the author of The Sound Mind Investing Handbook, endorsed by many respected Christian teachers, with more than 100,000 copies sold. Austin lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife Susie. 

CBMC Central Michigan 4407 W. St. Joe Hwy. Lansing 48917 / 517 481 5996  lansing.cbmc.com

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

March 4, 2024

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. Are you familiar with the story about the disciple Peter stepping out of the boat on a stormy sea to walk toward Jesus? When you think about that biblical account, what thoughts come to your mind? Do you think you would have been so bold? 

1. Why do you think Mr. Pryor recommends that while we should be willing to leave our “comfort zone” and be bold as we follow Jesus Christ, but in terms of being stewards of God’s resources, boldness and impulsiveness is not always such a good idea?
   
   
2. How do you typically respond when you encounter financial difficulties in any of their various forms? Where do you go for advice or counsel at such times?
   
   
3. When you read Jesus’ promise that “never will I leave you, never will I forsake you,” how does that make you feel? How do you think this assurance applies to our financial situations? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Deuteronomy 8:18; 1 Chronicles 29:11-12; Proverbs 15:16, 22:7,26-27, 30:8-9; Luke 6:38 

Challenge 

Have you ever studied what the Bible teaches about how we use our financial and material resources, ultimately the things God entrusts to us as stewards? If you have not, this week pray for God to direct you to someone who can help you to understand biblical principles about managing our money, including our charitable giving. You will probably be amazed by what you learn. 

CBMC Central Michigan 4407 W. St. Joe Hwy. Lansing 48917 / 517 481 5996  lansing.cbmc.com