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. 

“More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ…….My goal is to know him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to his death, assuming that I will somehow reach the resurrection from among the dead. Not that I have already reached the goal or am already perfect, but I make every effort to take hold of it because I also have been taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God’s heavenly call in Christ Jesus. Therefore, let all of us who are mature think this way. And if you think differently about anything, God will reveal this also to you.” Philippians 3:8, 10-15 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/php.3.8-15.CS 

Few Christians would argue against Paul being the greatest example of the most committed Christian. Yet here, he states that he hopes to be considered among those whom God raises to eternal life with Him. To ensure such a destiny, Paul made every effort to please and serve God, losing all prestige and wealth among men to build prestige in God’s sight and the wealth that comes from storing eternal treasure, the salvation, and discipleship of the souls of men. 

Are we similarly committed to knowing Christ and making Christ known in the world? Should we be? Are we striving, making every effort, toward a clear goal of maturity in Christ while helping others become the same? I fear our culture reflects our passivity and disinterest in truly being like Christ and helping others come to know Christ so they can live forever with Christ. What is the consequence of our inertia and indifference? 

God commands us to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. He will measure this love by our actions, not our emotions, even as He so loved the world and took action to send His Son to die as the sacrifice for sins. God bankrupted heaven to save humanity. Are we giving our best to knowing Jesus and helping others know Him too? Should there be a bit of doubt in our lives that we will not be found fully committed to Christ upon that day, He pierces our souls and spirits to weigh us by His standard of commitment? 

Let us make every effort to prove to God and men that Christ is our all, and we are working as hard as possible to see all love God and obey His commands so that there is no doubt when we see Jesus that we are His faithful servants. 

Our Opportunities 

1. Your opportunity to share the gospel with men through hearing the testimony of a fellow Christian business leader is set for March 21. All you need to do is commit to attending the date with a man who needs Jesus. Create a list of potential invitees and pray for them. Build your relational capital with them so they will accept your invite when you invite them to lunch. Learn more and register here.
2. CBMC National Men's Conference October 3-5 in St. Louis, MO. Plan to join and to meet new brothers who love the Lord and are serving Him in the marketplace across America. Mark your calendar busy for those dates then watch for details to come soon.
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

March 11, 2024 

A Working Career – Time For Many Relationships

By Robert J. Tamasy 

Work. Some people love it and can’t get enough of it. Many of those might qualify as workaholics. For others, work is a necessary evil, a means for putting food on the table, putting a roof over our heads, and providing clothing to wear, paying bills, and participating in pursuits that bring happiness. But have you ever considered what a lifetime of work looks like?

Let’s say we engage in a typical, “average” 40-hour work week. Some readers work many more hours than that, but let’s use 40 hours as our point of discussion. This means we will work approximately 2,000 hours over the course of a calendar year. Multiply that by the duration of one’s working life, let’s say 45 years. That amounts to 90,000 hours at work, whether you remain at one company or make multiple job and career changes. That is a lot of time! 

A good question to ask ourselves is, “How will I spend that time?” Particularly considering that very few people work in isolation. Almost all of us work with other people and by necessity must interact with them daily. Which leads us to another question: “How should I deal with those relationships?” 

Books have been written on this topic, but it would be good to consider just a few of the many things the Bible has to say about how we are to approach our work, as well as the people we must work with: 

Our work should set a positive example. One approach to work is to do the bare minimum required Go to work, get through the day, and go home. But that is hardly the example for others to emulate, especially for those of us who understand we are to work “as for the Lord” (Colossians 3:23). To the contrary, we are to pursue our work – wherever God has placed us – as a sacred calling. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). 

Our work should be above reproach. We all can probably think of some people who lost our respect in the workplace due to their unacceptable quality of work, unethical behavior, and general failure to make worthwhile contributions to our organization’s productivity and service to customers, suppliers, and their fellow workers. “And work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody” (1 Thessalonians 4:11-12). 

Our work ethic should be exemplary. Diligence and excellence in the work we do speaks volumes about our character, commitment to others, and most important, our determination to serve as “Christ’s ambassadors” (2 Corinthians 5:20). Increasingly it seems people have failed to take pride in their work, as has been the experience of businesses that are struggling to find people willing to work. If they do show up for work, many seem easily distracted rather than focusing on their responsibilities. “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: you should mind your own business” (1 Thessalonians 4:11). 

Our work should reflect concern for others. While fulfilling our job assignments and responsibilities, the workplace also can serve as a platform to reflect to others the love of Jesus Christ, showing we care about them and their needs. If we sense a coworker or customer is struggling, that may be an opportunity to show God’s concern and compassion. “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). 

© 2024. 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

March 11, 2024

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. How many hours do you work each week, on average? Projecting that over a lifetime of work, how many hours do you expect to spend pursuing your career? Do you think you have invested those hours well so far?
2. Besides earning a livelihood financially and perhaps seeing your career advance through promotions or moving on to better opportunities, what do you hope will be the lasting impact or legacy of your working life?
3. Can you think of someone that you consider (or considered) to be a poor worker? If so, describe that individual and his or her approach to their job. Now, consider someone who impressed you as an outstanding worker. What was it about that individual that stood out for you?
4. What do you think about the idea of seeking opportunities to reflect God’s love, concern, and compassion in the workplace? What guidelines do you think need to be followed in doing so? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passage: Proverbs 12:11, 14:23; 1 Corinthians 3:9; Colossians 3:17, 23-24; 2 Timothy 3:16-17 

Challenge 

This week would be a good time for you to re-evaluate your approach to work and your motivations for working. If you are a follower of Christ and you were to present the results of your efforts to Him directly, how do you think He would respond? 

Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” Do you have someone you can meet with on a consistent basis for encouragement, prayerful support and constructive criticism if needed? If so, make an appointment to meet with that person and discuss the questions above. If you do not have someone to meet with that you can trust, ask God to lead you to such a person. 

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