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. 

“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been fathered by God, and everyone who loves the father loves the child fathered by him. By this we know that we love the children of God: whenever we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God: that we keep his commandments. And his commandments do not weigh us down, because everyone who has been fathered by God conquers the world. This is the conquering power that has conquered the world: our faith.” 1 John 5:1-4 NET https://bible.com/bible/107/1jn.5.1-4.NET 

We must feel tension in the Christian life to live appropriately in it. This tension is the gift of salvation from God and the requirement from God that I obey Him. I have been pardoned from all my disobedience against God, given to all who ask Him in sincere repentance and faith, believing that Jesus, God Himself, died on the cross as punishment for my disobedience. 

Jesus’ death was a substitute for the one I deserve, freeing me now to be pardoned by God so that I can live forever with God in the kingdom of God. It is the work of God in Jesus that I believe that saves me from the wrath to come. How do I know that I believe? How does God know I believe? How does anyone know, I believe? By obeying everything God commands in Jesus the Savior. My obedience to God demonstrates my faith in God. 

If I obey God, I love God and show my faith in God. If I disobey God, if I continue to rebel against God, I prove that I do not love God and that I have no faith in God. The Christian life is the tension between salvation by faith and salvation proven by works. What is the command I am to obey? The same command motivated God to save me by His work and not by my works. I am to love God and people as God loves me and all people, especially His children. 

My love for God and others demonstrates my faith in God, proving I have been saved by God, Who loves me and gave His life for me. 

Our Opportunities 

1. Christmas Season is upon us. Please pray about investing a special gift into this ministry of prayer, evangelism, and discipleship among men in our marketplace. You can give online here. 

Our goal is $40,000 by the end of the year to finish 2023 well and begin 2024 strong. We are almost at 2k today.

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

December 11, 2023 

Benefiting From Unhurried Time With God

By Rick Boxx 

Dr. Richard Blackaby was talking with a group of business and professional leaders in Iowa about a time when his father, Henry, was invited to speak to a group of Fortune 500 CEOs. It was amazing for him to see a gathering of such high-ranking corporate executives in one place, especially considering the scope of their responsibilities and influence.Well-known for his Experiencing God books and Bible studies, the elder Dr. Blackaby was direct in his challenge to these individuals. He admonished each of them to intentionally schedule and plan for what he called “unhurried time with God,” both in terms of Bible study and prayer. 

You can imagine how many of them reacted. One CEO, after listening to the proposal, interjected his thoughts: “Henry, doing that is not likely. You have no idea how busy we are.” Dr. Blackaby responded, “Well, you have no idea who you would be meeting with. If you did, you would make time.” 

Three months later, the same CEO communicated back with Dr. Blackaby about the challenge. He said that after resolving to spend unhurried time with God daily, he discovered that his days were far more fruitful than ever before! 

This executive was hardly the first person to learn about the positive, even tangible benefits of devoting consistent time with God in studying the Scriptures and praying. The famous theologian Martin Luther, a man faced with many demands himself, said, “the less I pray, the harder it gets; the more I pray, the better it goes.” Another time Luther made this honest but paradoxical observation: “If I fail to spend two hours in prayer each morning, the devil gets the victory through the day. I have so much business I cannot get on without spending three hours daily in prayer”! 

Psalm 138:4 declares, “All the kings of the earth shall give you thanks, O Lord, for they have heard the words of Your mouth.” God is worthy of our sincere, unhurried time, no matter what our status may be at work. In addition, there are practical benefits we can receive from this. Here are just a few of them: 

We can gain a proper perspective. Faced with many pressures, deadlines and demands, along with conflicting messages coming from our culture, it is easy to lose focus on what is right and proper. Spending unhurried time with God, especially at the start of the day, reminds us of what is important and who we ultimately are striving to serve through our work. “My heart says of You, ‘Seek His face!’ Your face, Lord, I will seek” (Psalm 27:8). 

We can acquire the wisdom we need. Many of the problems we confront during the course of a day, especially those we did not anticipate, require not only knowledge but also wisdom to handle properly. We can get what we will need from God. “For the Lord gives wisdom, and from His mouth come knowledge and understanding” (Proverbs 2:6). 

We can appropriate God’s strength. It is easy to charge into a day in our own power, confident we can handle any situation. Often, however, we can’t. But through time with God, we can receive His strength and direction. “I can do everything through Jesus Christ who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:13). 

Copyright 2023, Unconventional Business Network. Adapted with permission from “UBN Integrity Moments”, a commentary on faith at work issues. Visit www.unconventionalbusiness.org. UBN is a faith at work ministry serving the international small business community. 

.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

December 11, 2023

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. How would you respond if someone approached you and asked if you regularly spend “unhurried time with God”? What does this even mean to you, and how easy – or difficult – do you think it is to accomplish on a consistent basis?
2. What do you think of Martin Luther’s two statements indicating the more and harder he prayed, the better each day would go for him? Does it seem foolhardy to say that when faced with great demands, the need for time with God is even greater? Explain your answer.
3. Thinking about resolving to spend unhurried time with God, what are some of the challenges or difficulties you have encountered in attempting to do this?
4. In what ways do you think spending unhurried time with God can give us a better perspective on the opportunities and obstacles we confront during a typical day in the workplace? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 1:7, 3:13-15, 12:8, 16:21; Colossians 3:17,23; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Challenge 

Good intentions are of little value if we do not follow up on them and strive to put them into practice. Sometimes the best way to ensure following through on what we intend to do – such as spending unhurried time with God – is by having an accountability partner. This is someone you trust and know cares about you who will remind you and encourage you to fulfill your good intentions. Do you have such a person right now that you can go to and rely on to hold you accountable? If so, share this desire with that person. If not, expectantly pray and ask God to send someone to assist you in an accountability role. 

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