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. 

“You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So you’ll recognize them by their fruit. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.” Matthew 7:16-21 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/mat.7.16-21.CSB 

Christians must start bearing fruit that lasts and measuring one another to encourage and rebuke one another toward ever-increasing fruitfulness, lest our country continue to be destroyed morally, spiritually, and financially. We worship money and not God. We have become greedy and pleasure-seeking. The result is a country without moral restraint. It can be argued that our many natural calamities result from God’s removal of protection from our land because His Church no longer strongly influences the entire culture toward holiness and righteousness.

The Church must define good by obedience to everything Jesus commanded, for this is the will of God for us. Good fruit is not the absence of bad fruit but the production of that which pleases God and lasts forever. The fruit that God requires from us is the redeemed lives of those who live around us. We are responsible for warning, sharing, loving, and serving humanity where we live and beyond with our prayers and offerings to restore all people to Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. While we are not responsible for people’s response to our sharing of the gospel, we are responsible for sharing the gospel as His witnesses. 

We must believe the gospel is the power of God to save all who believe. Faith comes by hearing, and what must be heard is the Word of God, Jesus, Who is recorded in the Scriptures. God has made His Church His messengers of reconciliation. He is making His appeal to all people through us. We who are truly good when we work to bear fruit that will last. The good tree, the good soil, seeks and saves the lost bearing evidence of laboring in the harvest that is so ripe, thirty, sixty, and even one hundredfold. If we can point to no one as fruit in our laboring for their salvation and obedience to Jesus, then perhaps we are not the good trees we think we are. 

Let us then repent and pray to bear much fruit, proving we are His disciples. 

Our Opportunities 

1. 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 over Zoom for six weeks, from noon to 1 pm, starting Friday, October 18. Register by emailing Mike here
2. Join CBMC men for prayer and Bible study every Friday from 8-9 am at Panera Frandor.
3. Do you enjoy these weekly devotionals? You can listen to them daily on your favorite podcast channel. The know God coach huddle is a 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 14, 2024

With Variable Labor, Make Culture A Constant 

By John Johnson 

The global marketplace is facing a rapidly changing labor environment that is perhaps unprecedented. For instance, the U.S. Department of Labor states that on average, Americans will change careers 5 to 7 times during their lifetimes. Presently, 30 percent of the workforce changes jobs every 12 months. 

Another factor, at least in the Western world, is what some experts have termed “Reduced Workforce Participation.” This refers to the impending massive unearned inherited wealth transfer that may reduce for many people the necessity or incentive to work. Inheriting money and other resources from parents, individuals may be able to forgo the everyday reality of going to work, at least in the traditional sense. 

This raises a strategic issue: How can businesses and organizations succeed in making expected work output a constant when labor is a variable? This is problem new for many work environments, but it is not unheard of. For instance, college athletic coaches manage to maintain winning cultures despite having to replace 25 percent (or more) of their most experienced players with rookies every year! If they fail at this, the coaches are terminated and someone else takes over this challenge. 

The unchanging culture of the U.S. Marine Corps can be stated this way: “Find the willpower you never knew you had, the strength you never knew you needed, bonds that never break, a lifelong desire to serve a purpose far greater than self.” This branch of the U.S. military has succeeded in doing this for many years – and with a largely teen-aged labor force.

With these variables in recruiting and retaining workplace talent, how can companies succeed in sustaining their culture and the products or services they offer? It requires aligning management values with employee behaviors. Here are just a few of them, along with biblical principles that support them: 

Clearly Define Organizational Values. Ensure that management values are clearly articulated and accessible to all employees. Following His resurrection, Jesus Christ made certain they understood what their mission was. He said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations…teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20). His followers are still doing this today. 

Integrate Values into Company Culture. Foster a culture that embodies the organization’s values. This involves modeling thedesired behaviors at all levels of management, integrating values into training programs, and building a positive work environment. “For you have been called for this purpose, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you would follow in His steps” (1 Peter 2:21). 

Communicate Values Effectively. Regularly communicate the company’s values through various channels, such as teammeetings, internal newsletters, and digital platforms. Use real-life examples to illustrate how values translate into actions and decisions. “Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people” (Matthew 4:23). 

By integrating organizational values into various aspects of the workplace, from communication to performance management, and by providing ongoing support and reinforcement, management can effectively shape employee actions and foster a culture that reflects the desired values.

© 2024. John Johnson is a businessman, philanthropist, the author of Love As a Management Practice (LAMP), which has also been developed into a curriculum for business and professional leaders. He has been actively involved with CBMC for many years.  

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

October 14, 2024

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. What changes in the contemporary labor environment have you observed? For instance, many retail establishments – especially restaurants – are finding it difficult to hire enough employees to properly serve their customers. Why do you think this is, and what other examples have you seen?
2. Does your company or organization have a culture that is readily understood by staff who if needed could clearly communicate foundational concerns such as mission, vision and values? Explain your answer.
3. When an organization experiences considerable turnover and change in its staffing, why do you think trying to maintain a constant culture is so critical?
4. Do you think biblical principles can be applied to the 21st century marketplace? Why or why not? If so, can you think of any other principles from the Bible that would apply to establishing and sustaining a stable corporate culture? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 6:20-23; Matthew 5:38-48, 7:12; Romans 13:8-10; James 2:8-10 

Challenge for This Week 

Take some time this week to consider how you are – or could be – contributing to the culture and work environment in your organization. If you do not think its mission, vision and values are clearly articulated and understood, what steps might you take to help in bringing this about? Perhaps you can interact with some coworkers – or individuals that report to you – and discuss how collectively you can become a positive influence in promoting a strong and positive culture for your workplace, especially if you desire to be effective in serving as an ambassador for Jesus Christ. 

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