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. 

“Do not lack diligence in zeal; be fervent in the Spirit; serve the Lord…..Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.” Romans 12:11, 21 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/rom.12.11-21.CSB 

The CBMC National Men’s Conference this past week was very encouraging. Zeal has been fostered and fervency fueled. Now is the time to put into practice what has been encouraged. As disciples of Jesus, we must obey Jesus and His command to serve Him. Serving Jesus keeps evil in our lives at bay because we are busy doing good. Good is not the absence of bad but obedience to the will of God. 

Our mission as disciples given by our resurrected Lord and King is to go and make disciples. We are to bear much fruit in this endeavor, proving ourselves to be His disciples. If we have no discipleship fruit, we have no basis to claim that we are His disciples. CBMC makes fruitfulness simple, but we must take action to obey Jesus with zeal and fervor, committed to growing the kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. Beginning with the CBMC’s Ten Most Wanted card, we can start the discipleship process by obeying Jesus’ command to pray for all people because He desires no one to perish but for everyone to come to everlasting life. 

We need to list those we know and love who have not yet yielded their lives to the Lordship of Jesus and pray for their salvation daily. Next, we need to build our relational capital with these same people. We must invest time with them. Weekly, we should connect with at least one person for whom we pray to continue building our relationship to increase our influence in their lives. Finally, we must embrace CBMC’s Operation Timothy discipleship tool and start meeting with another person to encourage and build up one another in our most holy faith. Our country reflects ignorance and insubordination to Jesus and His commands as a result of our failure to make disciples by teaching obedience to everything Jesus commanded us. Meeting to learn of Jesus and His will for our lives will begin the process of revival and restoration to America. 

We must engage in God’s will, for this is good and pleasing to God, and CBMC makes that practical and productive. Let us engage now. 

Our Opportunities 

1. Be challenged and encouraged to disciple men through attending the FREE showing of the movie The Forge this Saturday, October 12 at the NCG cinema at 10am. This is a CBMC Men’s event, don t miss it. Register here.
2. Be trained to use CBMC’s discipleship tool Operation Timothy. It’s been updated and enhanced on our new web platform. Learn to use this tool and how to invite a man to begin a personal discipleship relationship, this is the command of every Christian. We will meet for six weeks from noon-1pm over ZOOM beginning Thursday October 17th. Register by emailing Mike here
3. Join CBMC men for prayer and Bible study every Friday morning 8-9am at Panera Frandor
4. Do you enjoy these weekly devotionals? You can listen to them daily on your favorite podcast channel. The know God coach huddle is 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

October 7, 2024

Professional and Spiritual Calling Redefined 

By Rick Boxx 

We often refer to our jobs and careers as vocations, although the Latin-based word (vocare – “to call”) suggests much more than just describing the specific kinds of work that we do. In its purest sense, “vocation” includes a sense of purpose and mission. 

Many people limit their perception of a spiritual calling to individuals like pastors, priests, nuns, rabbis and missionaries – essentially, professional religious people. Over the years, however, I have seen this to be a flawed understanding of calling which has dramatically broadened to include those of us who spend much of our time in the workplace.  

One example of this shift is a quote that appeared in an article on theconversation.com, a website that provides a platform for academic experts on a variety of topics. In one of the columns, business scholars Mitchell Neubert and Katie Halbesleben defined spiritual calling as “a summons from God to approach work with a sense of purpose and a pursuit of excellence in work practices.”  

Think about that for a moment: “a summons from God.” And the idea of approaching work with a sense of purpose and pursuit of excellence. This offers a sharp, even startling contrast to the attitudes of countless people in the contemporary marketplace who perceive work solely as a means for generating a paycheck, just a way to earn a livelihood.  

Doing work only for money can be a joyless exercise, as I have learned, especially early in my own working career. If money is our one and only objective when we go to work, is it any wonder that people change jobs so easily, seeking higher wages and promotions that promise more compensation?  

The Bible affirms the idea of calling in the workplace that Neubert and Halbesleben described, seeing our jobs and professions in terms of purpose and striving for excellence. Here are some of the insights from the Scriptures:

Created to work. Have you ever wondered why we all have different interests and skill sets we bring to the workplace?

The Bible says this is by God’s design. “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).  

Teachings on how to work. There are countless books about work, some of them very good. But it would be reasonable to say the best book about how to go about our professions in the Bible. After citing the uses of biblical teachings, the apostle Paul said these are provided. “so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17).  

Honoring God through our work. When we use our talents, skills and experience properly, we honor God, the one who has generously given them to us. “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).  

In Matthew 6:33, in the middle of what many call “the Sermon on the Mount,” Jesus Christ said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” If we view our work as “a summons from God,” pursuing our spiritual calling in the marketplace, we can trust in God’s financial provision as well.  

Copyright 2024, Unconventional Business Network. Adapted with permission from “UBN Integrity Moments”, a commentary on faith at work issues. Visit www.unconventionalbusiness.org. UBN is a faith at work ministry serving the international small business community. 

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

October 7, 2024

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. Have you ever considered your work or profession as a calling? Why or why not?
2. What is your reaction to the statement that any spiritual calling is “a summons from God to approach work with a sense of purpose and a pursuit of excellence in work practices”?
3. If you enjoy the work you are doing, where did that interest, that passion come from? Have you ever thought that it might have originated from God and was given to you as a gift? Explain your answer.
4. How might it make a difference if you started off each workday with the perspective that it is another opportunity to pursue your spiritual calling?

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Exodus 35:30-35; Proverbs 12:24, 14:23, 22:29; 1 Corinthians 3:9; Colossians 3:23-24 

Challenge for This Week 

Have you ever been guilty of approaching your work solely as a means for earning money? If you have never considered that where you are, right now, is part of God’s calling for your life, it might be good to give that some thought.  

Do you know of someone who demonstrates joy and great satisfaction in the work they do, not just for the compensation they receive? Try to get some time with that individual this week and ask about what motivates him or her in approaching work.

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