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.

But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than people. The God of our forefathers raised up Jesus, whom you seized and killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses of these events, and so is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey him.”” Acts 5:29-32 NET https://bible.com/bible/107/act.5.31-32.NET 

We are witnesses of what God has done for us and for the world. We also witness how men respond to God and the consequences of those responses when they meet God unless they reconcile with God. This reconciliation is the purpose of our witness. God wants all people reconciled to Him through Jesus the Savior so that He becomes the Lord and Leader of everyone.

We who claim to be reconciled to God must prove this reconciliation by obeying God rather than men living as witnesses of God to men until all men obey God. Jesus is both Savior and Lord. This witness is critical and too often neglected today. We proclaim Jesus as our Savior, Who died for our sins and was resurrected to pardon us by declaring us righteous through His good works. But His one-time act is not a past event that we acknowledge never more to engage.

We engage His work daily by witnessing of His work while living obedient lives to Jesus. Jesus is the Lord and Leader of all every day, all the time. The message of our testimony is that our sins must be acknowledged before God and forgiven by Jesus. Our lives must increasingly reflect the authenticity of that repentance by increasing in obedience to everything Jesus has commanded. Daily we are to grow in our likeness to Jesus, Who obeyed perfectly everything God commanded in the Scriptures while witnessing to the work of God the Father being accomplished by Him as God the Son when He lived with us.

To be truly reconciled to God is to repent from our past sins before Jesus the Savior and live our future in obedience to Jesus as Lord.

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 July 26th from 8-9 am at Taste Coffee in Okemos. Email me if you are interested in attending this event. 
   
   
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

July 10, 2023 

Taking Responsibility And Doing The Work

By Robert J. Tamasy 

We live in an unusual time. More and more, people seem unwilling to take responsibility for their decisions and actions. For some, it has become a case of casting blame on others – people, specific institutions, or society in general – and assuming the role of victim. If they fail, they believe it is not their fault but that of “the system,” or someone else. The fact is, however, much of what happens to us is indeed our responsibility. If we fail or fall short of our goals or aspirations, it is no one’s fault but our own. 

Helen Keller lost both sight and hearing due to an illness when she was only 19 months old. However, with the help of a devoted instructor, Anne Sullivan, she overcame her considerable disabilities to become an author, disability rights advocate and lecturer. One of her strengths was she never offered excuses; instead, she was able to state, “What I am looking for is not out there. It is in me.” 

Citing Keller’s example, leadership consultant Tim Kight observed, “Doctors don’t make you healthy. Nutritionists don’t make you slim. Teachers don’t make you smart. Trainers don’t make you fit. They help, but you must take responsibility and do the work.” 

We see this every day in the marketplace. To get a job, we usually need to complete a resume, fill out an application and be interviewed first. To make a sale, we have to interact with prospective buyers and inform them of the value and benefits of our product or service. To earn a promotion or a pay raise, we have to prove ourselves worthy of it. As Kight says, we must take responsibility and do the work. 

The Bible has a lot to say about this. For instance, it affirms the virtue of honest work. “For even when we were with you, we gave you the rule: ‘If a man will not work, he shall not eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). Even 2,000 years ago, the Scriptures were teaching, “There’s no such thing as a free lunch.” 

We may admire a colleague who understands how to effectively integrate his or her faith with her work, but it will take effort for us to accomplish the same. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a worker who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). The “word of truth” – God’s truth as revealed in the Scriptures – does not come to us through osmosis. We must devote time to reading the Bible, studying it, meditating on it, and memorizing it to internalize its truths and principles for practical application. 

At the same time, to become a consistent, fruitful “ambassador for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20), we also must understand that while we have an important role in our success, so does God. Philippians 2;13 tells us, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.” 

This aligns with what Jesus taught His disciples when He declared, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener…. Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me…apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:1-5). We must take initiative and put forth the necessary effort, but to realize God’s purposes for our lives, we must rely on Him. As the apostle Paul wrote, “I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). 

© 2023. 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

July 10, 2023

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. Have you observed that more and more people seem to be refusing to accept responsibility for their own lives, along with the consequences for their actions and decisions? If you can, cite an example that comes to your mind. How do you feel about that?
2. Do you agree with the observations that doctors do not make us healthy, teachers do not make us smart, and physical trainers do not make us fit? How then can we balance the roles these and other professionals can play in our lives with our own responsibilities for accomplishing desired outcomes?
3. What do you believe the Bible teaches about the necessity for us to take initiative and personal responsibility in the work we do and how we conduct our daily lives?
4. How can we balance “our part” in what God desires for us to do as His ambassadors or representatives with the part He must play if we are to accomplish anything to lasting, even eternal value? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Ecclesiastes 3:9-13; 1 Corinthians 3:9; Ephesians 2:10; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; James 2:14-18 

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