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.          

2 Corinthians 2.14 gives thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere.

Those who claim to be followers of Jesus are also laborers for Jesus since His purpose in adopting us and leaving us on earth is for us to live as He did, fishing for men and making more men disciples of Jesus. This is living in obedience to His commands.

What does this fishing look like? A witness for Jesus is a humble follower of Jesus who demonstrates a servant lifestyle before God and men. Humility with service is a powerful attractant to men and brings great pleasure to God. There is an element of the church that likes to market Jesus as being the remedy for poverty, illness and brokenness. Certainly, He is King, Healer and Restorer of all things but this does not mean He exists to give us money, beauty or favor to all whom He adopts. This attractant is easier and places more onus on God than living humbly and serving men, living as Jesus did.

Those who walk in obedience will indeed find wealth if they were marked by spending foolishly and not working diligently. Those who used to abuse their body will find better health treating their body as the temple of the living God Who makes His presence within all of His people. And those who begin to love their neighbor as themselves and forgive those who sin against them to the degree God forgives their sin, will find their relationships with others happier and healthier.

It is doing these things, repenting from dead works and a dead life, and living life abundant through serving God and serving men by obeying all of Jesus’ commands, that men see the beauty, the wisdom and the success of living as servants of Jesus becoming then attracted to Him as we live increasingly for Him. As we increasingly live as captives of Christ He is increasingly seen as the triumphant King.

Our Opportunities

1.     Our first outreach luncheon is scheduled for March 31st at the University Club Henry Center. Our speaker will be Navy Seal Patrick Bisher. Don’t miss this opportunity to share the gospel with your friends through the testimony of a warrior of God. Learn more and register here

2.     A mission opportunity is available to you every third Wednesday of the month at the new Rescue Mission Drop-in center. We are looking for one or two men a month to share their story of God’s work in their lives for about 20 minutes from 10-10.20ish. Interested in encouraging the homeless by sharing what God has done in your life? Next opening, April 15th. Email Mike to sign up.

1. Help us win and disciple business men through your donations at: 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

March 9, 2020 

Teachability: An Invaluable Virtue

by Rick Boxx 

Tom, a CEO friend of mine, had a promising executive on his leadership team that was struggling at work. It had become obvious this individual would need additional oversight until he could mature into fulfilling the potential everyone knew he possessed. One of the problems involved the junior executive’s reluctance to release any control. He lacked of a quality Tom considered critical for personal and professional growth: Teachability. 

Despite having the intelligence and raw talent for one day becoming a valued member of the team, this fellow’s resistance to instruction and correction would remain obstacles for advancement. Tom knew if the leader did not become more open to recommendations for change or improvement, most likely he would undermine any assistance and support sent his way.

Unwilling to give up on the young executive, Tom scheduled a face-to-face meeting with him to discuss the reality of the problem. He needed to prove that he was teachable, Tom explained, or it would be necessary to consider other options. 

Fortunately, this leader humbled himself and accepted Tom’s offer of additional direction. This resulted in rapid growth for the leader and more profitability for the organization. It proved to be a win-win for him and the company, but if he had resisted change, everyone would have lost. 

Repeatedly in the Scriptures we find emphasis on the importance of teachability. Here are some examples: 

Teachability leads to prosperity. There is an old saying that “not one of us is as smart as all of us.” We might believe we can succeed independently, without help, but doing so almost always leads to failure. Relying on the wisdom and insights of others, however, usually leads to success. “Whoever gives heed to instruction prospers, and blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord” (Proverbs 16:20). “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed” (Proverbs 15:22). 

Teachability paves the way to wisdom. A young man seeking a mentor, when asked why he wanted to be mentored, responded, “I want to learn from your mistakes.” Showing discernment beyond his years, this individual had realized he did not need to make all of his own errors; he could also learn from the mistakes others had made. Wisdom is usually a product of experience, and experience is often gained through making mistakes and then making necessary corrections and changes. “Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise” (Proverbs 19:20). 

Teachability pursues the best resources. The world is filled with knowledge. There are hundreds, even thousands of books on virtually any topic. There is an endless supply of information through the media – TV, radio, newspapers and magazines. The Internet can serve as a library at your fingertips, a cornucopia of content about practically everything. But we only have limited time, so which resources we use can affect not only our teachability but also what we learn. Why not consult the Bible? Writing to his young disciple, the apostle Paul declared, “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). 

Teachability is a quality we should all look for in those we select for leading areas of our business. 

© 2020, Unconventional Business Network Adapted with permission from “Integrity Moments with Rick Boxx,” a commentary on issues of integrity in the workplace from a Christian perspective. To learn more, visit www.unconventionalbusiness.org. His latest book, Unconventional Business, provides “Five Keys to Growing a Business God’s Way.” 

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

March 9, 2020 

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. Do you consider yourself teachable? Explain your answer. 

1. From your observations, what are the consequences of not being teachable? Have you ever found yourself reporting to someone who seemed to lack teachability? What was that experience like? 

1. What steps do you think a person can take to become more teachable? What role, if any, does personal humility play in being able to develop and maintain teachability? 

1. A final suggestion in this “Monday Manna” is to turn to the Bible as an important teaching resource. Do you agree – especially when thinking in terms of today’s marketplace? Why or why not? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 12:15, 19:27, 20:18, 24:5-6, 27:17; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 1:28 

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