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. 

"As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take and eat it; this is my body." Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." Matthew 26:26-28 CSB https://bible.com/bible/1713/mat.26.28.CSB 

Did Jesus die as the sacrifice for the sins of all humanity? Yes, in that His death on the cross was the perfect sacrifice sufficient to pay for all the sins of all humanity from all of time. No, in that all men will not humble themselves before God and acknowledge His Savior in Jesus the Lord, thus remaining in their sins to reap the full judgment of God, which is eternal condemnation in torment and suffering. 

Therefore, Jesus says His death will pay for the forgiveness of the sins of many, not all. Jesus' death on the cross is not a pardon for all humanity so that they can continue to ignore God and reject His commands. The death of Jesus for the forgiveness of sins is to pay the penalty for those who repent of their disobedience, who reject their rebellion against God, who grieve at their ignoring of God for so long and so have returned to Him in humility and for reconciliation. 

All those who come to Jesus for forgiveness, no matter what they have ever done or failed to do, are welcome at the foot of His cross to receive forgiveness and be cleansed by His blood of all their unrighteousness. Jesus' sacrifice is sufficient payment for all the sins ever committed by all those who are reconciled to God, but His life is only payment for those who have died to self and have turned to Him to receive pardon and everlasting life with God.

Our Opportunities 

1. CBMC National Men's Conference October 3-5 in St. Louis, MO. Plan to join and meet new brothers who love the Lord and serve Him in the marketplace across America. Mark your calendar busy for those dates, and then register here. Also, plan to join the bus from Michigan to attend this event. For an additional $200, we will ride in comfort with the men from Michigan to St. Louis. A great adventure awaits. I hope you will join us.
2. 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

April 29, 2024 

Not Becoming Consumed With The Love Of Money 

By Jim Langley 

At one time in my life, I was greatly motivated by how much money I could accumulate. Pursuing wealth became a way of life. This is hardly a new or unique development, however. It has been true of people for thousands of years. Writing to his protégé Timothy, the Apostle Paul offered these words of wisdom: “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. 

Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs” (1 Timothy 6:10).

Money is not inherently evil, but the love of money can cause evil in many forms. There is nothing wrong with having money or desiring to earn it to meet our physical needs, build a business, or acquire things we want. However, when it becomes both our goal and our god, we have a huge problem. 

Years ago, there was a popular car bumper sticker that proclaimed, “HE WHO DIES WITH THE MOST TOYS WINS.” That clever saying found agreement from people enamored with having more and more, whatever the cost. But they probably never seriously considered how great that cost might be. 

King Solomon of Israel, an extremely successful individual, addressed this subject in a profound way. From experience he observed, “Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 2:11). He shared from his personal experience as one who came to an awareness that the love of money is the equivalent of chasing the wind. It is an exercise in futility. 

The Love of Money: a root of many kinds of evil. If we are in love with money, we cannot be in love with God, our Heavenly Father. And we do not need to possess lots of money to love it! We can be penniless and still have a deep affection for money and what it can buy for us. We can easily fall into the evil trap of rationalizing that money will bring us happiness and contentment. I have personally observed how money can create major distractions and steer us away from what really matters in life. 

Focused on the Wrong Things: I have seen many successful people obsessed by their careers to the point of neglecting family, friends, and their faith. Even professing followers of Jesus Christ can become fanatically focused with making money, losing sight of what is most important in life. We can become mesmerized by money’s magnetic power and how we believe it can positively affect our lives. Sometimes God will allow us to experience hardships, including illness, loss of jobs, divorce, or many other calamities. to convince us money in fact is not the answer to our deepest needs and desires. 

The Right Storehouse: Jesus laid it on the line when He warned His followers, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21). 

There is an important question we each must answer: Where is your heart? Is it found in money and the things it can buy here on earth, or is it in your relationship with your Heavenly Father? The Bible instructs us to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul and with all your strength” (Deuteronomy 6:5) and store our treasures in Heaven. If we do that, we will have no regrets. 

© 2024, all rights reserved. Jim Langley has been writing for more than 30 years while working as a life and health insurance agent. In recent years, his passion has turned to writing about his relationship with God. His goal is to encourage others to draw near to Him as well. A long-time member of CBMC, he started writing “Fourth Quarter Strategies” in 2014. 

MONDAY MANNA

A service to the business community

A Publication of CBMC International

April 29, 2024 

Reflection/Discussion Questions 

1. How important is money to you? Take a moment to consider before you answer. Now explain why you answered as you did.
2. What are some of the potential problems with an unrelenting pursuit of money and material things? Why do you think the “love of money” is so prevalent, especially in the business and professional world?
3. In what ways does the pursuit of money bring about evil in our lives? Why do you think what we possess – in terms of material wealth – can have such influence in how we think about ourselves and how others perceive us?
4. If you – or someone you know well and care about – is clearly consumed with the love and pursuit of money or the things it can buy, what steps can be taken to overcome this problem? What does it mean to store up our treasures in Heaven, rather than on earth? 

NOTE: For more about what the Bible says, consider the following passages: Ecclesiastes 2:4-11; Matthew 6:24; 2 Timothy 3:1-4; James 4:13-17 

Challenge for This Week 

During the coming week, try to do a personal assessment of the importance money and material things have in your life. Do you view yourself as the owner of everything you possess, or as a steward of resources God has entrusted to you? Consider how those two perspectives are different. Find someone you know who cares about you and talk about your respective attitudes toward money – and whether you believe the Lord might want you to make some “attitude adjustments. 

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