Our Mission

"To reach, empower and deploy generations of men in the workplace to live out their faith and multiply their impact for Christ.

1 Timothy 4:7–8, 10 (NIV)
“Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come… That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.”

Men, God Is Not Calling You to Coast—He’s Calling You to Train

Paul didn’t write this to weak men. He wrote it to warriors in the making. The Christian life isn’t passive—it’s a daily grind. It’s spiritual weightlifting. It’s refusing to settle for shallow faith and instead becoming spiritually fit for eternal purposes.

The word Paul uses—“train”—comes from the Greek word gumnazō, the root of our word gymnasium. Roman athletes trained naked, shedding anything that could slow them down. In the same way, Christian men are called to strip off distractions—especially the pursuit of comfort, money, and worldly status—so we can run hard after Christ.

Discipline Is the Difference Between Excuse and Impact

Yes, physical training matters. Stay fit. But godliness training? That shapes you into a man who leads his home, church, and community with strength and humility. It’s the kind of man your wife trusts, your kids admire, and the devil fears.

God expects you to work out your salvation in two ways:

1. Personally – becoming more like Jesus in thought, word, and action.
2. Productively – making disciples and expanding God’s kingdom.

The Call to Train Is the Call to Lead

Every godly man labors and strives because his hope is in the living God, not in worldly approval or temporary success. That means:

• Add weight to the bar of obedience. Grow your discipline in prayer, Bible study, generosity, and evangelism.
• Push past comfort in your pursuit of Christ. Don’t settle for minimum effort.
• Lead others by example—training yourself, your family, and others to know, love, and follow Jesus.

Christian Men Aren’t Bystanders. They’re Builders.

You are not just a believer. You are a disciple under orders. You are a soldier under command. God didn’t save you to sit in the bleachers. He saved you to fight for righteousness, truth, and souls.

There is no retirement from your calling. Train hard. Die faithful.

Our Opportunities 

1. Join CBMC men for prayer and Bible study every Friday from 8-9 am at Panera Frandor.
2. Do you enjoy these weekly devotionals? You can listen to them daily on your favorite podcast player. The know God coach huddle is a 2-3 minute review of God’s word for application in your life. Subscribe today wherever you listen to podcasts.  

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

July 21, 2025 

Getting Back To The Fundamentals Of Work

By Robert J. Tamasy 

Vince Lombardi was a legendary coach in American professional football, leading the Green Bay Packers to five championships. He possessed great expertise as a coach, but one principle he always followed was to never forget the basics. Prior to the first practice of every new season, Lombardi would always raise an object in his hand and say, “Men, this is a football.” 

His players knew what a football was. They had already spent many years participating in the sport. But Lombardi understood the importance of never losing sight of the fundamentals, much as a virtuoso pianist continues to practice scales on the keyboard after many years of concert performances. 

In a similar way, for those of us who are called to serve Jesus Christ in the business and professional world, we too should pause from time to time to review and remind ourselves of “the basics” – the ‘why’ of what we do every day in the marketplace. As we enter the second half of the calendar year, here are some of the biblical principles that apply to all of us engaged in the marketplace: 

Whom we ultimately work for. We typically go to work hoping to please and impress our supervisor, manager, CEO, or owner of the company. But we’re told to work as if the nameplate in the boss’s office reads, ‘Jesus Christ.’ “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward” (Colossians 3:23-24). 

Quality of our work. Consider the exquisite detail in which God has designed our world. The wonder and beauty of His work are beyond description. If the Lord demonstrates such excellence in His work, should we not strive to pursue the same excellence as His image-bearers? “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17). 

Our purpose in work. In God’s eternal plan for this world, He has designed each of us with unique gifts, talents and abilities. All are intended to bring Him honor and reflect His character. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:). 

Fully equipped for our work. Education and training may prepare us to carry out specific job responsibilities, but our ‘guidebook’ for how we are to go about our work is God’s Word, the Bible. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 

Who we truly represent. When hired by a company or an organization, we are expected to properly represent our employer. Ultimately, however, as followers of Christ we are to represent the Lord, communicating the saving, life-transforming message of the Gospel to anyone and everyone we encounter. “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20). 

© 2025. 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.

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

July 21, 2025

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. When you got up this morning to get ready for work, why were you doing it? To earn money to pay the bills; work toward a promotion; engage in something you enjoy doing? Have you ever awakened with the idea, ‘I am going to work for God’? Explain your answer.
   
   
2. How often – if ever – do you review the basics, the fundamentals of what you are doing, whether it involves your working skills, your organization’s mission, or what it requires to excel at a favorite pastime? What might be some benefits of doing that periodically?
   
   
3. Can you think of other principles from the Bible that you have found useful in your everyday work responsibilities? If so, discuss one or two of them.
    
4. What difference does it make whether we consciously approach our work each day from a perspective of being God’s servants and representatives? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 22:29; Ecclesiastes 2:24-25; 1 Corinthians 3:9; Ephesians 3:20, 4:12 

Challenge for This Week 

Perceiving our lives and work from the teachings of the Bible is what many people term a “biblical worldview.” Do you think your current worldview and approach to work reflect the principles from the Scriptures? If not, how might you try to change that? Or what areas do you think might need some improvement? 

This week, consider setting aside time to discuss this with a trusted friend, mentor, or small group of people, seeing in action the principle from Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” 

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