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.

“Come children! Listen to me! I will teach you what it means to fear the Lord. Do you want to really live? Would you love to live a long, happy life? Then make sure you don’t speak evil words or use deceptive speech! Turn away from evil and do what is right! Strive for peace and promote it! The Lord pays attention to the godly and hears their cry for help.” Psalms 34:11-15 NET https://bible.com/bible/107/psa.34.11-15.NET

Are you experiencing difficult times? Are you stressed by the things going on in the world? These difficult times and immoral chaos surrounding us result from the church not making disciples, which teaches obedience to everything Jesus has commanded. The church is the leaven influencing the entire society. If we are not obedient to make disciples by influencing people to repentance, then teaching obedience to everything Jesus taught, we will increasingly lose our influence in society, and our culture will run amok.

This is our very experience. The answer, return to the Lord. The church must first humble itself, pray, seek God, and turn from its wicked ways. Then, God will hear our prayers, forgive our sins, and heal our land. The psalmist tells us to cease speaking evil, gossiping about people, and start helping people. We must stop doing what displeases the Lord and start doing what pleases the Lord. We must engage His work if we will see His ways prevail in our world. We are the messengers of God’s peace through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Peace among men comes with peace with God.

Let us go and make disciples in our own homes, neighborhoods and marketplace by praying for people, serving people, and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ until all people repent and obey Jesus. This is how God and we answer our prayer that God’s kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Our Opportunities 

1. CBMC is looking for prayer team coordinators to start prayer teams in every company employing more than 50 men. These prayer teams are essential for beginning effective ministry in our marketplace. If you are willing to facilitate a prayer team in your company Email me for more information.
   
   
2. Business Owners, don't miss your opportunity to learn more about how CBMC helps you through our Trusted Advisor Forums. These closed, monthly meetings help Christian business leaders craft strategies to handle tough issues with employees, customers, vendors, and competitors that incorporate best-in-business principles integrated with a Christian worldview. An informational meeting will be held on August 23rd from 8-9 am at Taste Coffee in Okemos. Email me if you are interested in attending this event. 

1. 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

August 7, 2023 

The Snares of Success

By Rick Boxx 

Recently, I interviewed Anne Beiler, founder of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, about the snares of success. She was an 8th-grade educated, stay-at-home, Amish mom when she determined to help support her family by starting a pretzel business. From the humble beginnings of one farmer’s market store, Anne grew the business to more than 900 stores around the world prior to selling the business. 

That kind of success, while very enviable, can bring many temptations and snares along the way. We need to take steps to guard against them. As Proverbs 22:5 teaches, “Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse; One who guards himself will be far from them.” 

It is important to be aware of what snares (or traps) might be ahead. The first snare that often comes is praise. When Beiler began building Auntie Anne Pretzels, people started praising her for her success. But she kept thinking, “I’m not brilliant, I’m an 8th-grade educated, Amish, stay-at-home mom.” 

But eventually, she admits, she started to believe the praise, deceiving herself that it was her brilliance, rather than God’s grace. We find this warning in 1 Corinthians 3:18, “Take care that no one deceives himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise.” If your successes bring praise, avoid deceiving yourself by remembering that your success only came from God’s grace. 

Another common snare is power. As business leaders grow in success, they also tend to grow in power, which can easily corrupt. Harvey Weinstein had the power to create or destroy actresses in the film industry. He abused his power to seduce many women in exchange for offering them stardom. 

In Ecclesiastes 4:1 we read, “And behold, I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and power was on the side of their oppressors, but they had no one to comfort them.” Power can be used generously to benefit others, or it can be abused. Find an accountability partner to help you guard against becoming intoxicated by power.

A third snare is privacy. Seeking privacy is important for times of reflection and rest, but some leaders who begin experiencing success take privacy to an extreme. Some go into isolation due to personal insecurities; others choose being alone due to growing arrogance that they are better than others. 

Isolation is one of our spiritual enemy’s favorite tools. In 1 Peter 5:8 we are warned, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” When isolated, you can easily overlook or discount your own and your organization’s shortcomings. Living in community with transparency is a better, safer strategy. 

The final snare is pride. In the banking industry, I watched several companies begin to experience rapid success, drawing very favorable news coverage. The top executives’ pride often led them to pursue more and more attention. When I saw multiple articles about a customer’s company, I would visit the customers to make certain their business was not being neglected. The pursuit of prideful accolades, I discovered, often led to ignoring the day-to-day operations; this sometimes resulted in failure. Proverbs 16:8 cautions, “Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall.” 

Copyright 2023, Unconventional Business Network. Adapted with permission. Visit www.unconventionalbusiness.org. UBN is a faith at work ministry serving the international small business community. 

.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

August 7, 2023

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. Most of us – if not all of us – place a high priority on achieving success. Do you agree that success brings with it dangers or “snares” that potentially could lead to failure? Why or why not? 

1. Can you think of any examples of times when the snares of pride or power led individuals or businesses to failure? Can you think of reasons this might have happened? 

1. In the 27th chapter of Proverbs we find two examples of the snare of praise. Proverbs 27:2 says, “Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.” Then in Proverbs 27:21 it says, “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but man is tested by the praise he receives.” Do you see a difference between these two admonitions? If so, in what ways? 

1. A final snare Mr. Boxx cites that can accompany success is that of “privacy” or isolation. Think of a scenario where this might develop. What safeguards could be put in place to prevent its occurrence and the consequences that could result? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 11:14, 12:15, 13:13-14, 16:2, 17:3,10, 19:20, 27:17; Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 

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