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. 

“Don’t become idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to party. Let us not commit sexual immorality as some of them did, and in a single day twenty-three thousand people died. Let us not test Christ as some of them did and were destroyed by snakes. And don’t grumble as some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer.” 1 Corinthians 10:7-10 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/1co.10.7-10.CSB 

Four things are described that hurt the Church’s growth and witness, of which all in Christ are members. These things keep us from being fruitful and effective for Christ, resulting in our culture growing in hostility and disobedience to God and His people. When the Church worships something other than Jesus most and first, we are idolaters. Many will forsake gatherings on Sunday with the brethren to ensure their children are playing with pagans on Sunday at some sporting event. What do we love more than God, as demonstrated by the use of our time and treasure? 

Sexual immorality is rampant in our culture and in the Church. From pornography to adultery to fornication to the promotion of homosexuality, all of these things are an abomination to God, Who made us to be holy as He is holy. Our bodies belong to Christ for His use in working for His glory. Our bodies are not to be constantly pleasured by their sinful desires. We test Christ when we try to make Him do what we are responsible for accomplishing. We complain about the state of the world when we are responsible for sharing the gospel and discipling the world so that God’s world takes over this world more and more. His kingdom come, and His will be done on earth as in heaven. 

It is the responsibility of each church member to be obedient to seek and save the lost, then teach every person to obey everything Jesus commands, even as we live by example in obedience. Finally, failure to execute our assignment is not grounds for complaining about people or God. The world reflects the impact of our faithfulness to do the work of God. We mustn’t complain but encourage one another daily to love and do good works helping each other stay faithful while working together to become more fruitful to make Jesus known as King of kings and Lord of lords. 

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 21, 2024

The Relentless Pursuit of Excellence 

By Robert J. Tamasy 

Do you give or receive job performance reviews where you work? Or have you ever been given such a review in another job? Imagine having your boss or supervisor meet with you for a performance review and describe your work with terms like, ‘mediocre,’ ‘adequate,’ ‘so-so,’ or ‘doing just enough to get by.’ How would you feel? 

At best you would probably realize that hoped-for promotion probably will not be coming very soon, or that you should not expect to receive a substantial bonus based on how your work is assessed. At worst, it might be wise to start looking for another job – the sooner the better. 

Watching the recent Summer Olympics, with thousands of athletes competing from well over 100 different countries, it was evident that mediocre and doing just enough to get by were not part of their mindsets. Even though most of the athletes knew they would not be returning home with gold, silver or bronze medals, they still wanted to do their best to represent and bring honor to their nations. 

If one phrase could have been used to describe those hard-working, determined Olympians, it was “the pursuit of excellence.” Whether it was striving for precision on the diving boards; performing intricate and demanding routines in gymnastics; trying to run the fastest on the track; churning through the water in swimming events; or demonstrating amazing feats of strength and dexterity on the field, it was obvious the competitors had invested countless hours preparing for their events. They understood it is not good to perform on the global stage and embarrass themselves. 

What if we each took the same approach to our work? We might not be vying for international acclaim, or for gold, silver or bronze medals. However, pursuing excellence in what we do – whether making sales presentations, designing a website, conducting a meeting, or emptying trash cans – is certain to gain the attention of people we work with, especially our bosses. Here are a few of the things the Bible says about cultivating a work ethic of excellence: 

Excellence and hard work are recognized. There are many talented people in the workplace, but what sets some apart from the rest is their commitment to carrying out their responsibilities with excellence, going the extra mile when necessary. “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men” (Proverbs 22:29). 

Work can fulfill a higher purpose. When we go to work, our intent is usually to satisfy the expectations of the persons that serve as our bosses and supervisors. But in the Scriptures, we are exhorted to realize our work should aim even higher than that. “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building” (1 Corinthians 3:9). 

Excellent work can lead to greater responsibilities. We might be tempted to think, ‘When I get an important job, then I will really work hard and show what I can do.’ Even if your current job seems unimportant, it might be a training ground for much greater, more fulfilling responsibilities. In a parable, Jesus Christ told about pleasing a demanding boss: “’Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities’” (Luke 19:17). 

© 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. 

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

October 21, 2024

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. Did you watch any of the Summer Olympics? Some portions might not have interested you, but what did you think of the amount of time, energy, effort and sacrifice the athletes expended for the honor of representing their nations in the Games?
2. When was the last time you had to undergo a performance review? How did you feel about that? What kind of assessments did you receive, and what did those mean for you?
3. Hearing the term, “pursuit of excellence,” what does that mean to you? What do you think it should look like in the workplace – pursuing excellence?
4. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, why is striving for excellence in our work important? What does it have to say about our faith and commitment to serving God and others? 

NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages:2 Chronicles 31:20-21; Proverbs 16:3; Ecclesiastes 2:24, 3:22, 5:18-19; James 2:20-24 

Challenge for This Week 

This week might be a good time to do a personal job performance review. On a scale of 1-10, 1 being the lowest and 10 the highest, how would you rate yourself in terms of attitude, motivation, productivity, effectiveness, and most important, being a worker that serves as a good example for others to follow. 

Think of someone – or more than one person – whom you admire not only for their accomplishments but also for how they approach their work. If there’s an opportunity, ask what motivates and inspires them in the workplace. 

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