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.

Acts 26.20 describes they, continually proclaimed to those in Damascus first, and in Jerusalem, and then all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they are to repent and turn to God, performing deeds consistent with repentance.NASB2020

Paul’s gospel message was repent and perform deeds consistent with repentance. How does this compare to the modern gospel? It seems today we focus on asking Jesus into our heart, whatever that means, then believe in Him, what does that mean?, and He will forgive us of all our sins against God. Then we can spend eternity in heaven with Him.

Repentance and asking Jesus into our heart are similar, like saying I’m sorry and asking forgiveness are similar. I’m sorry takes less responsibility for our actions and requires nothing of the other person. Asking forgiveness requires humility of us and acceptance by others. Most people never ask forgiveness. Repentance is asking forgiveness of God. It is acknowledging a failure to live God’s way and do God’s will.

It is also a commitment to stop doing those things that God condemns and start doing those things God commands rather than living a self-serving life. Repentance is turning around from the wrong direction and to start going in the right direction. This leads to performing deeds in keeping with repentance. What are those?

At minimum, the works of Christians are to give generously to the work of God just as God gave His Son to be the Savior of the world. They mean serving the mission of the Church which is the winning of the world to Jesus and teaching them to obey everything Jesus commanded just as Jesus did not come to be served but to serve. They also mean sharing the gospel with everyone we know in obedience to God’s command to make disciples as His witnesses so that God’s will for everyone to be saved comes to fruition.

If we have never really repented and are not diligent to give, serve and share, maybe we still haven’t ‘believed the gospel,’ maybe we haven’t truly become Christians yet.

Our Opportunities

1. Beginning January 20th over the lunch hour, via zoom, CBMC is offering men under 40 a new study to help you become more effective as a man of God. We will review the book How to Ruin Your Life By 30: Nine Surprisingly Everyday Mistakes You Might Be Making Right Now. You must purchase the book on your own and register with me so you can receive the meeting link. Register here then invite your friends to join us for a lively discussion about growing as a man of God.           
                
2. You can partner with us here: https://give.idonate.com/cbmc-inc/lansing 

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

January 31, 2022 

Does Your Business Have A Prayer?

By Robert J. Tamasy 

“That business does not have a prayer!” Have you ever heard someone say that? Have you said or thought that yourself? Usually, a statement like this predicts the success – even survival – of a business enterprise is unlikely at best. Even prayers, it suggests, would not help. 

However, I would like to propose looking at the question from a very different perspective. Because from my experience, many companies large and small fail precisely because they fail to involve prayer. Rather than seeking God’s wisdom and turning to Him for direction, owners and managers determine to set their own course. There is no room to consider what God might be thinking about their intentions. 

I have known a number of people who came up with what they considered to be fail-proof ideas. They developed business plans, managed to gather start-up financing, recruited partners, and put together impressive marketing strategies. But one thing was lacking: They did not pray about what they were about to do, presuming upon God’s blessing. 

One friend in industrial real estate development, for example, was presented by what seemed to be a can’t-miss opportunity. He obtained the necessary funding, brought excited partners on board, and did everything that a typical businessperson should do. Except pray. Years later, his “can’t miss” project was nearing bankruptcy, leaving my friend scrambling to disentangle himself from his dilemma. 

Nevertheless, the idea of putting prayer into one’s business planning process often is met with a shrug, even skepticism. Why bother to pray about what we aim to do in the marketplace? What does God have to do with a business, anyway? If we believe the Scriptures, in reality, He has a lot to do with whether a business survives and thrives or fails. Consider just a few important principles: 

God’s direction is far superior to ours. Where did we get the intellect, experience, passion, and innate talents for undertaking a major business endeavor? We might have worked hard to develop and refine our skills, but the “raw material” we started with came from God. When we involve Him in our planning, we acknowledge all He has already done and what He can do. “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). “A man’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?” (Proverbs 20:24). 

God’s thinking far surpasses ours. Two attitudes toward God are dangerous for business planning: to ignore Him altogether, or to assume that whatever we do is acceptable to Him as long as it is legal. In our readiness to proceed, we decide not to consult with the Lord beforehand. Which is unfortunate, because factors we have not considered could be revealed through prayer, or He might point us to a better plan. “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed” (Proverbs 16:3). “Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails” (Proverbs 19:21). 

God’s timing is much better than ours. In our own minds, we often feel a need to act immediately, fearful that a perfect opportunity could be lost. The Scriptures teach we would be wise to proceed with caution and prayerful expectation. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him…. Wait for the Lord and keep his way. He will exalt you to inherit the land…” (Psalm 37:7,34). 

© 2022. Robert J. Tamasy has written Marketplace Ambassadors: CBMC’s Continuing Legacy of Evangelism and Discipleship; Business at Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace; Pursuing Life with a Shepherd’s Heart, coauthored with Ken Johnson; and The Heart of Mentoring, coauthored with David A. Stoddard. Bob’s biweekly blog is: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com. 

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

January 31, 2022 

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. How often – if ever – have you heard of business leaders taking the time and making the commitment to pray to God, asking for His wisdom and guidance before proceeding? Why do you think this is the case? 

1. Can you think of a time when you prayed earnestly about an important business or career decision, consciously being willing to submit if the the Lord changed your plans or direction? If so, explain the circumstances and the outcome. 

1. What do you think it means when the proverb says, “a man (or woman) plans their own course, but the Lord determines their steps”? 

1. Why is it so difficult to follow the admonition from Psalms to “be still before the Lord and wait for Him”? Do you think an unwillingness to be still and wait on Him represents a lack of faith? Why or why not? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 11:14, 12:15, 15:22, 16:4, 19:20, 21:30-31, 27:1 

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