Part 2: Reflections from a Beneficiary of CBMC’s Rich Spiritual Legacy
By Robert J. Tamasy
In my last post, I noted that I’ve been involved with CBMC in both full-time staff and non-staff roles for nearly 40 years. Over that span, God has taught me some incredible spiritual lessons, proving that when I was introduced to CBMC in 1981, I didn’t know what I didn’t know. Here are a few more of those biblical insights that I not only was taught, but also caught from other men:
We’re Here to Serve, Not to Be Served. It’s common for people in positions of power to flaunt their authority. So it was refreshing and eye-opening to meet many leaders in CBMC who carried out their responsibilities with humility, demonstrating servant leadership. One of those was Don Mitchell. When I met him, Don was an automotive plant manager and later moved into executive corporate roles with General Motors.
In Mark 10:45, Jesus declared, “Even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.” Men like Don served as living examples of that teaching, striving to be like Christ and to walk “in His steps,” as it says in 1 Peter 2:21.
For instance, in the days when participative management and quality circles came into vogue in industry, Don saw that as a way of demonstrating to workers on the assembly lines that they were valued, soliciting and acting upon their feedback on how they performed their jobs. He served as a witness for Jesus through his actions, as well as his words. And as a CBMC leader, he served in the same way – always putting others ahead of himself.
Priorities – God, God and … One of the difficult things we encounter as business and professional men in juggling our responsibilities and keeping our priorities in balance. Sometimes it’s important to even step back and ask, “What are my priorities?” Being a borderline workaholic who had regularly spent 60-75 hours a week on the job as a newspaper editor, when I arrived at CBMC I needed to get my priorities in better order.
When I heard a number of speakers state that our biblical priorities should be God first, then marriage and family, work, and then ministry, I felt convicted. It made sense. But then someone – I regret I don’t recall who – said that wasn’t quite right.
He said our priorities should be God, then God and marriage, God and family, God and work, God and ministry, etc. The reason, this individual explained, is there’s a tendency to compartmentalize our faith, separating our quiet time with the Lord, as well as church and ministry activities, from the work we do or other areas of our personal lives. This is not the Lord’s will. As it says in Colossians 3:17, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”
We’re All in Full-time Christian Service. When I came to know Christ during the latter years of my newspaper career, I was ignorant about how to share my faith with others. So when I had the opportunity to join the CBMC team, I was excited about being able to go “full-time for Jesus.” However, as I met faithful men, serving the Lord 24/7 through their professions, I realized my misconception.
A passage similar to the one above tells us, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward” (Colossians 3:23-24). A number of men I encountered and interviewed for magazine articles affirmed that every believer is in what we might call “full-time Christian service” – the only difference is the source of our paycheck.
Therefore, the Christian executive, engineer, sales manager, IT specialist, school teacher, physician, accountant and attorney is serving Christ full-time as much as the pastor, missionary or church worship leader. I remember the time I was having lunch with a financial planner, a follower of Jesus. For some reason he blurted out, “I’d do anything to be able to go full-time for Christ.” I just looked back at him and replied, “What makes you think you haven’t already done that? We’re all called to serve the Lord, and there’s no such thing as a part-time Christian.”
One verse that underscores this reality is 1 Corinthians 3:9, which declares, “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.” Another passage CBMC has embraced in recent years affirms, “We are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).
I’ll have a few more perspectives you might find helpful in a forthcoming post. But thinking back on the things I’ve just cited, consider:
1) What does it look like to genuinely, sincerely, serve others? How easy is it to do this? And how do you respond when you’re treated like a servant?
2) How would you describe your priorities? Do they align with the list of priorities above? What are factors that sometimes test your commitment to your priorities?
3) Do you perceive yourself as being in “full-time Christian service”? Why or why not?