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 Timothy 2.4-6 describes, no one serving as a soldier gets entangled in the concerns of civilian life; he seeks to please the commanding officer. Also, if anyone competes as an athlete, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules. The hardworking farmer ought to be the first to get a share of the crops.

These three descriptions of the Christian life reflect three different but necessary attributes for living the Christian life in a way that honors God and makes clear to men and demons that we are truly committed to Him and His ways.

The soldier reminds us to be focused exclusively on Jesus and His mission for His people. The soldier doesn’t choose his dress, his meals, his residency or his mission. The Christian is to consider everything as meaningless compared to loving God with all of his heart, soul, mind and strength.

Second, the athlete exemplifies faithfulness to the ways of God. The means for God to accomplish His will on earth as it is in heaven is to love our neighbor as our self. We build His kingdom by loving others as we love our self.

The athlete doesn’t choose the rules of the game but he chooses to play by those rules. The Christian looks to the Scriptures for the rules for living and faithfully follows those rules whether he likes them or not.

Finally, the farmer represents fruitfulness in the work of God. All men will now we are His disciples when we bear much fruit. If we are fruitless in the work of God perhaps we are not truly a disciple but rather a branch God has trimmed off His vine because we were not in Him and therefore doing nothing for Him. The whole reason the Church exists is to bring people to faith in Jesus.

Failure to execute God’s mission means the Church ceases to exist. This is not acceptable to God our Savior Who has commissioned us, commanded us, to go and make disciples. Obedience to this mission allows us to experience fruit in our lives.

Focused, faithful and fruitful are the attributes of the truly mature Christian and the Bible’s stated goal for all those who follow Jesus.

His Opportunities

1. Business Owners, are you looking for a private group of fellow business owners for encouragement, support, and advice? CBMC offers such a group.  Contact Mike at mwinter@cbmc.com for more information
   
   
2. It’s back – Monday Manna Live – weekdays, Monday mornings, 9.55am HERE
   
   
3. You can support CBMC today. https://give.idonate.com/cbmc-inc/lansing

CBMC Central Michigan 6011 W. St. Joseph Ste. 401 Lansing 48917  / 517 481 5996 www.lansing.cbmc.com

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

April 8, 2019 

That Terrifying, Terrific First Step

by Robert J. Tamasy 

A journey of a thousand miles, according to the Chinese proverb, begins with a single step. In more contemporary terms, you cannot finish something until you decide to start. The problem for many people is, they never get started.

I can relate to this. There are some things I once dreamed of doing, even might have considered to be life goals, but I never accomplished them. Because I did not take that first single step. Even though I have been a professional writer, I have never written a novel – because I have yet to take that first step. In high school, I played drums in several bands, but always wanted to improve my skills. I never took that first step to do so. I have always wondered if I have the ability to paint landscapes. But – you are right – to date I have not taken the first step to learn how. 

On the other hand, I can think of “first steps” I have taken, ones that have made all the difference in my journey, both professionally and personally. Early on, I transferred to a different university because I wanted to study journalism. This resulted in my career that has spanned nearly 50 years. I always felt intimidated by speaking in public, but took the first step to put myself into situations where I had to speak in front of groups. Public speaking still is my strength, but I can do it reasonably well when necessary. 

After more than 44 years of marriage, I wonder where I would be today if I had not taken that first step to ask my wife out on a date. And we had often talked about taking a trip together to another country; last year we finally did that, accepting the invitation of some friends to join them on a memorable trip to Italy. 

Dr. Mark Jobe, president of Moody Bible Institute, on his radio program spoke about the importance – and difficulty – of taking the first step. He pointed out many reasons for people being reluctant to take the all-important first step, but here are three of the most common. I have added some biblical passages that apply to each of these: 

• Conditions are not ideal. Jobe used an example of desiring to start an outdoor exercise program. One day might feel too cold. The next day might be a bit too hot. Conditions are rarely perfect for taking the first step, so the best plan is simply to take it as soon as possible, then continue moving forward, one day at a time. The Scriptures urge us to, “A man’s steps are directed by the Lord. How then can anyone understand his own way?”(Proverbs 20:24). 

• Timing might not seem perfect. Many of us desire to make a difference in the world around us, whether it means getting involved in community activities, or investing time and energy in helping another person grow personally and spiritually. There is no excuse for waiting; there is no better time to start than now. “Do not say to your neighbor, ‘Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you,’ when you already have it with you” (Proverbs 3:28).“…redeeming the time, for the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:16). 

• Stepping out in faith may force you to confront your greatest fears. In some cases, fear prevents us from taking that initial step. It could be fear of failure, fear of the unknown, or fear of how others might react. That is where faith fits into the equation: When we feel great anxiety, trusting in the Lord enables us to take that step anyway. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). 

© 2019. Robert J. Tamasy has written Business at Its Best: Timeless Wisdom from Proverbs for Today’s Workplace; Tufting Legacies;coauthored with David A. Stoddard, The Heart of Mentoring, and edited numerous other books, including Advancing Through Adversityby Mike Landry. Bob’s biweekly blog is: www.bobtamasy.blogspot.com. 

CBMC Central Michigan 6011 W. St. Joseph Ste. 401 Lansing 48917  / 517 481 5996  lansing.cbmc.com 

 MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

April 8, 2019 

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. What can you think of that you have never accomplished – at least to this point – because you have been unwilling, or too afraid, to take that first step?
   
   
2. Can you think of something you were initially reluctant to do or to try, but once you determined to take the first step, discovered it was life-changing – and now you sometimes wonder why you delayed moving into action for so long?
   
   
3. How can we overcome hesitation to step out when conditions do not seem to be the best, or you question whether the timing is right for getting started?
    
4. In what ways can faith in God – trusting in and relying on Him – enable us to get past fears that may be causing us to procrastinate over that first step? What about taking the most important first step of all, committing your life to Jesus Christand making Him the Lord of your life – have you done that yet? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more about this topic, consider the following passages:  Psalm 37:4-5; Proverbs 3:5-6; 2 Corinthians 6:2; Colossians 4:5