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  • Where Are You Going To End Up?

    Where Are You Going To End Up?

    Can you envision preparing to take a business trip but having no idea where you are going – or why you are going there? Sounds ridiculous, right? Because it is. When planning to travel, whether for business or personal reasons, we usually have a destination. Unless we are just responding to an adventurous impulse and decide to go for a drive, we first determine where we are going and for what reason.

    Many people, however, do not conduct their lives in the same way. They embark on their journey through life with little idea of where they are going, how they are going to get there, why they are going, or even how they will know when they have arrived. As I heard someone observe recently, “Everybody ends up somewhere, but few end up somewhere on purpose.”

    Most of us get up each morning and go to work, whether our own business, a large corporation, or small company. But have you ever asked yourself, “Why am I going to work?” One reason, of course, is to earn a living. Monthly payments on a house or an apartment, maybe a car payment, utility bills, groceries, and other essentials all require money. But would it not be more fulfilling to proceed to work knowing you had greater intentions than only to earn a paycheck?

    A verse from the Old Testament book of Proverbs addresses this: “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (Proverbs 29:18). There are several applications of this principle, but without vision – a greater sense of purpose behind our vocational pursuits – we can easily become as cynical as the author of Ecclesiastes who said, “‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’ What does man gain from all his labor at which he toils under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:2-3).

    How do we gain vision, a broader sense of why God has placed us where we are, with the gifts and talents we possess? I think it starts with understanding that although He did not have to do so, the Lord has chosen us to be active participants in His work. In 1 Corinthians 3:9, for example, we are told, “For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.”

    Think about it – being “fellow workers” with God! Imagine receiving a personal phone call from a famous executive and being asked, “Would you be willing to help me with an important project?” Then, multiply the magnitude of that question a million times, since God wants us to be working with Him.

    Writing and editing have always been my career. I spent the first 10 years as a newspaper editor. But if I had asked myself “why?”, most likely I could not have given a very good answer. Then I read a Bible verse that God seemed to have designed specifically for me. It read, “My heart is overflowing with a good theme; I recite my composition concerning the King; my tongue is the pen of a ready writer” (Psalm 45:1). 

    Suddenly I had an answer to my “why?” The Lord had given me unique abilities, passion, gifts, and experience to serve Him as a writer and editor. Monday Manna, this weekly workplace meditation created to help business and professional people discover how to integrate their faith in the marketplace, is just one of the ways I strive to do that.

    What has the Lord uniquely equipped you to do? We know one thing for certain: As followers of Jesus, we are “ambassadors for Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:20). The question we must each answer is, “How can I be that ambassador most effectively and fruitfully where God has placed me?”

    © 2025. 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.

    Reflection/Discussion Questions

    1. When you are intending to go somewhere, how detailed is your planning? Do you seek to have a clear understanding of where you are going, how you want to travel, and what you hope to accomplish when you arrive? Explain your answer.
    2. Why do you think many people are not as precise and particular about charting the course their lives will follow? What are some of the problems with simply letting life “happen,” without a vision for where they want to go and what they hope to become?
    3. Have you ever started a workday and thought, like the writer of Ecclesiastes expressed, “Meaningless! Everything is meaningless”? Whether that has been your own feeling, or one being felt by someone you know, how would you go about trying to change that sense of futility?
    4. When you read that “we are God’s fellow workers,” what thoughts go through your mind? Is that a good thing, in your opinion? Why or why not?

    NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: 1 Corinthians 10:31; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 3;17,23-24; 2 Timothy 3:16-17

    Challenge for This Week
    This week, try to set aside some time to consider the ‘what’ and ‘why’ of your work. Do you have a clear vision of where you are going, what you hope to achieve along the way, and how you will know that you are on the right course?

    You might get with some good friends, a mentor, or some trusted advisors to discuss this. What are their perspectives, not only for you but also for themselves? Do you know where you are going to end up – and why?

    Matt Trayler

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  • Being Repurposed, Not Replaced

    Being Repurposed, Not Replaced

    For many of us in the marketplace, our work – what we do – is a large part of our identity. What impact should it have then when striving to incorporate faith into how we carry out our vocational responsibilities? We find the best example in how Jesus Christ addressed this when choosing His closest followers.

    When Jesus called Peter and Andrew, He did not strip them of their identities. “And He said to them, ‘Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men’” (Matthew 4:19). Jesus did not say, “Forget everything you know.” Instead, He spoke into their vocation as fishermen and redefined it: “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” In essence, He was saying: Everything you’ve been shaped by – your skills, your instincts, your daily grind – I can use that. But now, for something eternal.

    Jesus did not replace their identity; He repurposed it. And this is precisely how He calls us today. We often assume that following Jesus means walking away from the career, the training, the story we have lived up to this point – as if being His disciple requires starting from scratch. But that is not the Gospel. The call of Christ is not to abandon our past, our skills, our experience, but to surrender them. It is not about becoming someone else – it is about letting Him redeem who we already are.

    God has sovereignly authored your experiences, your gifts, your network, your education, and even your struggles. To discard them would not only be wasteful – it would be unfaithful. It would imply that God has not been at work all along preparing you for usefulness in His Kingdom. But He has been at work. Always.

    I witnessed this firsthand during my time with the United States Secret Service. The mission was demanding: to secure environments, protect lives, anticipate threats. I took that mission seriously. But I began to realize that God had not called me out of that mission to serve Him – He had called me to filter it through my faith.

    One day, deep in the Cambodian jungle, we were preparing for a visit by the First Lady, the President’s wife. It was an advance site. But God had other plans. That day became the starting point of forming a Gospel-centered relationship with another agent from New York. That conversation, born out of professional proximity, turned into years of mentoring, prayer, and discipleship – until the Lord ultimately called my friend and fellow agent to his eternal home. The whole thing unfolded not in spite of my profession, but precisely through it.

    This is how Jesus Christ works. He does not waste a moment of your story. The very things you thought were secular, irrelevant, or “just your job,” might in fact be the very instruments through which He calls others to Himself. So don’t think the invitation to follow Jesus means leaving everything familiar behind. It means placing everything you are and everything you have been given into His hands – and trusting Him to repurpose it for His glory.

    You were gifted for a reason. You have been placed where you are on purpose. To separate your calling from your context is to misunderstand both. The call of Christ is not to discard your story; it is to declare a new purpose over it: Same hands. Same instincts. But…New mission. New Master.

    © 2025. C.C. Simpson is dedicated to fostering a bold and triumphant Christian faith within the global marketplace, driven by a deep conviction in the Gospel’s transformative power. Before becoming President of CBMC International, Chris dedicated 28 years to a distinguished career in the public sector – as a Commanding Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps; and serving in the U. S. Secret Service, responsible for protecting seven American presidents and leading elite teams in complex, high-stakes international missions. With his wife Ana, a native of Nicaragua, Chris resides in Boca Raton, Florida. 

    Reflection/Discussion Questions

    1. In what ways has your career prepared you for Kingdom impact—perhaps without you realizing it at the time?

    Follow-up: How might your current skills, relationships, or position be uniquely positioned for Gospel influence right now?

    2. Jesus repurposed the disciples’ vocation rather than replacing it. How might this challenge our assumptions about what it means to “serve God” in the marketplace?

    Follow-up: Have you ever felt pressure to separate your faith from your work? Why do you think that divide exists?

    3. Reflecting on your own story, where do you see signs that God has been at work “redeeming, not discarding” your past?

    Follow-up: What part of your professional journey do you now view differently because of your faith?

    4. What would it practically look like to “filter your mission through your faith” in your industry or company?

    NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Genesis 50:20; Romans 12:1-2; 1 Corinthians 7:17; Ephesians 2:10; Colossians 3:23-24

    Challenge for This Week
    Are there conversations to be had, decisions to be made, or relationships to be established or strengthened this week through which you can intentionally start to live out these truths? That God does not want to replace your identity, or re-place you somewhere else, but to repurpose who you are, what you do, and where you are to be actively engaged in His Kingdom work?

    If you know of someone who seems to have a good understanding of what it means live out his or her faith in the workplace, you might want to set a time to meet and talk about what they have learned.

    Matt Trayler

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  • Looking For Wisdom In All The Wrong Places?

    Looking For Wisdom In All The Wrong Places?

    We are living in a time of virtually unlimited information. We can access it through TV, radio, social media, books, periodicals, and it is literally at our fingertips on the Internet. Because of all this information we can acquire great amounts of knowledge. However, masses of information and knowledge do not always translate into wisdom.

    What is wisdom, anyway? One definition says it is, “the ability to make sound judgments and decisions based on deep understanding of situations and experiences, often involving knowledge, good judgment and the ability to discern what is right or true.” This sounds good, right? But how do we gain this ability?

    A young businessman, aspiring to achieve significant corporate success, approached his mentor – a man he regarded as wise – and asked, “How do you acquire wisdom?” “Through experience,” the wise man replied. “Then how do you gain experience?” “Through making good decisions.” “Well, how do you learn to make good decisions?” The wise man quickly replied, “By making bad decisions.”

    This is funny – and true. But is making mistakes the ideal way for gaining wisdom? One place where we can look for wisdom – which I believe to be the best place – is the Bible. In fact, several Old Testament books are called ‘books of wisdom,’ including Job, Psalms, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes. The most quoted of all is Proverbs, which makes this declaration about wisdom: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Proverbs 1:7).

    Even a casual glance at our world seems to confirm this. Politicians, business leaders, entertainers and other prominent people, operating without a biblical worldview, fit how the Old Testament describes the ancient Israelites: “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6 and 21:25). This was not wisdom, it was foolishness. And it remains the same today as well.

    Most of Proverbs is attributed to Israel’s King Solomon, who was termed the wisest man who ever lived. He explained the proverbs were “for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, for doing what is right and just and fair” (Proverbs 1:2-3).

    If this is true, do you think it might be a good idea to read Proverbs and discover what it teaches? Many people have resolved to read one chapter of Proverbs every day. This way, since the book contains 31 chapters, the entirety of Proverbs can be read in a single month; 12 times over the course of a year.

    Proverbs offer wisdom on many topics, such as restraining anger; being an effective leader; accepting correction and discipline; receiving wise counsel and guidance; having discernment and exercising prudence; dealing with envy and jealousy; avoiding sexual temptation; cultivating generosity; working diligently; pitfalls of pride and benefits of humility; striving for integrity and honesty, and many others.

    Ultimately, they all are anchored in “the fear of the Lord.” This does not mean approaching God with dread. It means recognizing His perfection, power, love, and goodness. Proverbs says fearing the Lord is wise, just as fear widely keeps a person from venturing too close to the edge of a high cliff. More than that, the fear of the Lord offers the assurance of experiencing a fulfilling, fruitful life:
    “The fear of the Lord leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble” (Proverbs 19:23).
    “Humility and the fear of the Lord bring wealth and honor and life” (Proverbs 22:4).

    © 2025. 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.

    Reflection/Discussion Questions

    1. How would you differentiate information and knowledge, which we have in great abundance – perhaps more than ever in the history of humankind – with wisdom, which often seems lacking?
    2. Who would you identify as a person who demonstrates great wisdom? Why do you consider that individual to be wise? In what ways have you seen him or her exhibit wisdom in how they work and live?
    3. Early in the first chapter of Proverbs we read the statement, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” What do you think this means? Do you agree with it?
    4. In what ways would you contrast worldly wisdom – which is presented to us every day through various sources – and biblical wisdom?

    NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 2:6, 3;13-15, 10:14-15, 12:8, 14:6,8, 15:7,33, 16:16,21, 17:24, 19:8

    Challenge for This Week
    If you were to decide today, ‘I want to start acquiring wisdom. I want to be wise in how I work and live,’ how would you go about doing that?

    In your life to this point, what are some of the wisest things you have learned? Take time this week and discuss this important topic of wisdom with a close friend, mentor or small group of trusted advisors. What are some ways you need to have and learn how to exercise more wisdom? Who is someone you consider to be wise that might be helpful to you?

    Matt Trayler

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  • A Wake-Up Call for Christians Everywhere

    A Wake-Up Call for Christians Everywhere

    We cannot be passive or outsource discipleship. The mission of God remains, and each of us is called to love, to act, and to go.

    The news of Charlie Kirk’s passing hit me surprisingly hard. I didn’t know him personally, but like many of you, I felt the ripple of his life’s work. Beneath the headlines and debates about his politics was a man, a husband, a father, a brother in Christ, whose absence leaves a gaping hole. My first reaction wasn’t about movements or media coverage; it was sadness for his family and for the countless young people who looked to him for courage, conviction, and clarity.

    Charlie Kirk wasn’t perfect, none of us are. But there was something undeniable about his life: he was willing to do something. He wasn’t content to sit on the sidelines while culture shifted. He didn’t retreat into comfort or convenience. Instead, he leaned in with faith, passion, and courage. That alone is worth honoring, no matter where you stand politically.

    What struck me most about Charlie was that he put his faith first. He never hid his love for Jesus, even when it cost him something. He believed in the hope of the gospel and was unashamed to share it with a broken, searching world. Say what you will about his style or strategy, but he was clear about the most important thing: our only true hope is found in Jesus Christ.

    Charlie was also willing to engage; some might even call him combative. He sat across from people who disagreed with him, sometimes fiercely, and he stayed at the table. He didn’t always persuade, and he wasn’t always persuaded himself, but he never ran away from hard conversations. The Bible is full of courageous people attempting to speak truth – Esther, Nathan, John the Baptist and most importantly Jesus himself. Yet in an age where we so easily silo ourselves with people who think, talk, and believe just like us, that willingness to lean in rather than pull back is something I deeply admire.

    And then there’s the next generation. Charlie had a burning passion for young people. He refused to shrug his shoulders and say, “Kids these days…” Instead, he rolled up his sleeves and built something to reach them. He saw that tomorrow’s leaders were being formed today, and he poured his life into awakening them. That’s a vision CBMC shares, and it should stir us to action.

    His passing leaves me with a haunting question, one I want to pose to you as well: What am I willing to do to live out the Great Commandment and the Great Commission? You would think as the leader of a men’s workplace ministry that I would be “all in.” But if I am honest, there are days when just surviving feels like success. Jesus told us to love God and love our neighbor (Matthew 22:37–39). He also told us to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19–20). Those aren’t suggestions for the spiritual elite. They are marching orders for every Christ follower.

    So, let me ask you: Are you content watching from the stands? Or are you willing to get in the game? Are you satisfied with applauding the courage of others? Or will you let God use you, even in your weakness, to bring hope to those who are desperate for it?

    The truth is, every one of us is leaving a legacy. Charlie Kirk’s will outlast his years, not because he was perfect, but because he lived with urgency and conviction. The real question is not if we’ll leave a legacy, but what kind.

    For Christians, this is a wake-up call. We cannot be passive. We cannot outsource the gospel or the work of discipleship. We cannot hope the next generation will be reached by “someone.” That someone is you. That someone is me.

    Charlie Kirk is gone, but the mission of God remains. His death is a sobering reminder that life is short, and eternity is long. What will you do with the time God has given you?

    CBMC’s vision is to see men’s lives, families, and workplaces transformed by God through a growing evangelism and disciple-making movement in every community across our nation. Are you ready to get off the sidelines and step into your purpose?

    David Meyers – President, CBMC

    Matt Trayler

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  • God Provides For Needs “In Its Season”

    God Provides For Needs “In Its Season”

    In the Scriptures, we read that God promised His people that if they walked in His ways, He would give them “rain in its season” – and with it, the fruitfulness of the land (Leviticus 26:3-4). Not instant reward. Not on-demand outcomes. But blessing, in its appointed time, according to what was fitting, according to His divine wisdom. This truth still governs the marketplace today.

    God does not operate according to our calendars or expectations. His actions are never delayed, never rushed, never misaligned. He moves in absolute harmony with His will, according to what is fitting in the scope of eternity. And that is deeply uncomfortable for us. We are trained to measure value by deadlines and deliverables. We prize speed. We reward early achievement. But God is not bound by our urgency. His promises are not transactions; they are covenantal promises. His timing is not mechanical; it is precise. And His movements are not arbitrary; they are appropriate.

    This is the test of faith for every leader: Are we willing to yield not only our ambitions but also our expectations? Much of our frustration in leadership and life does not stem from failure; it stems from mistimed desire. We demand results on our schedule and call it “vision.” But what if the waiting is not punishment? What if it is preparation?

    That is why patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22). It is not a passive disposition. It is Holy Spirit-empowered endurance. God gives patience because He knows what we cannot see – how formation must precede fruit. How roots must deepen before harvest arrives. Waiting is not weakness. It is the strength to trust when everything in you wants to act. As Isaiah 40:31 promises: “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

    Daniel Tan, a Christian agricultural engineer in Malaysia, spent years developing a low-cost irrigation tool to serve rural farmers. He believed it was from the Lord, an innovation to restore dignity and open doors for Gospel witness. But for five years, there was nothing. Government delays. Lost funding. Silence in response to his prayers. Then, in year six, a non-government organization discovered Daniel’s prototype. Within months, the tool was in use across Southeast Asia, paired with biblical training on stewardship and the concept of hope. He later realized: The delay was not rejection, it was formation. God was not just preparing the product. He was preparing the man.

    This is how God works. Always with precision. Always with purpose. “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son (Galatians 4:4). Jesus did not appear early or late. He came at the exact moment when roads, language, and hearts were ready for redemption through the life-transforming message. Not a second too soon. Not a second too late. God moves when it is fitting. His timing is flawless.

    So here’s the question every marketplace disciple must confront: Can your faith trust God’s timing? Can your prayers shift from “Lord, bless me now,” to “Lord, shape my life, my work, and my family until the blessing You’ve prepared actually fits who You’re making me to be”?

    Are you willing to surrender not just your outcomes—but your calendar? The rain will fall. The ground will yield. But only in its season (Gal. 6:9).

    The sooner we embrace this truth, the sooner our walk with God matures—from anxious hope to confident trust (Ps. 27:14; Eccl. 3:11).

    © 2025. C. C. Simpson is dedicated to fostering a bold and triumphant Christian faith within the global marketplace, driven by a deep conviction in the Gospel’s transformative power. Before becoming President of CBMC International, Chris dedicated 28 years to a distinguished career in the public sector – as a Commanding Officer in the U.S. Marine Corps; and serving in the U. S. Secret Service, responsible for protecting seven American presidents and leading elite teams in complex, high-stakes international missions. With his wife Ana, a native of Nicaragua, Chris resides in Boca Raton, Florida. 

    Reflection/Discussion Questions

    1. Can you think of a time in your life or leadership when a delay turned out to be exactly what was needed – and even more fruitful than what you had originally hoped for?
    2. Galatians 5:22 lists patience as a fruit of the Spirit. Why do you think patience is essential for spiritual maturity – especially in the marketplace?
    3. Daniel Tan’s story serves to remind us of how God sometimes forms the person before releasing the mission. In what ways might God be shaping you right now for something He has not yet revealed?
    4. Isaiah 40:31 says, “They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength.” What would it look like for you to surrender not just your outcomes, but your calendar?

    NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Leviticus 26:3-4; Psalm 27:14; Ecclesiastes 3:1; Isaiah 40:31; Galatians 4:4, 5:22

    Challenge for This Week
    This week might be a good time for you to consider how you are in terms of patience, especially when it comes to being willing and able to wait upon God’s timing. Are you currently waiting to have a specific prayer – or prayers – answered? How do you think He might be using this time to prepare you and shape you into the person He wants you to be? 

    Share your need with a good friend, mentor, small group or some trusted advisors, asking for their wisdom and counsel – and for their prayers that you can remain faithful as you wait for God to answer your prayers “in its season.”

    Matt Trayler

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  • Biblical Leadership: Called To Build

    Biblical Leadership: Called To Build

    When we talk about Biblical leadership, lots of names come to mind. David, Moses, Joshua, Nehemiah, Paul… the Bible is filled with examples of Godly leaders.

    A name that needs to be included in this list? Noah. His story in Genesis is a masterclass in what it means to lead with faith, grit, and perseverance.

    Let’s take a step back in time. One man is called upon to build an ark in the middle of dry land. He receives a God-sized vision for a task that will take him decades, a project that will draw ridicule from his neighbors. From Genesis 6:

    So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high. Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit high all around. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks.

    I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”

    Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

    Read that last sentence again. Noah did everything God commanded him, even though the project took years and made no sense to anyone around him. His example shows us that leadership isn’t about titles or applause. It’s about courage to act, obedience when it feels crazy, and faith that outlasts the storm.

    Here are five lessons from Noah’s story we can carry into our own leadership today:

    Lead with Obedience, Not Popularity

    When God said, “Build an ark,” Noah did it. No questions or polls to gauge what others thought. Instead, Noah simply obeyed and got to work. Great leaders understand that obedience to what’s right will always outweigh the approval of the crowd.

    Play the Long Game

    The ark didn’t appear overnight. Year after year, Noah hammered boards and tightened joints with no flood in sight, only the vision God had given him. Leadership is the same. It’s long hours, unseen effort, and the grit to keep showing up.

    Live with Integrity in a Corrupt World

    The Bible says Noah was “blameless among the people of his time.” That wasn’t because the world was good. It was because Noah chose to be different. Leadership starts with how you show up when no one’s watching.

    Be Willing to Stand Alone

    It’s hard to picture how much mockery Noah must have faced, but he stood tall anyway and kept hammering. That’s leadership. It’s staying true to God’s vision when others can’t, or won’t, see it. It’s being willing to stand alone when no one else will stand beside you.

    Lead to Protect and Provide for Others

    Noah didn’t just save himself. His obedience gave his family safety and gave humanity a future. Real leaders carry responsibility beyond themselves, and they build things that bless others. We often talk about servant leadership. Noah is an example of that.

    A Call for Leaders Today…

    You might not be called to build a massive boat, but you are called to lead… your family, your business, your team, your community. Leadership today still demands obedience, perseverance, integrity, courage, and responsibility. Like Noah, you might find yourself swinging a hammer while the world laughs. Keep building anyway, because one day, the work you’ve done in faith will be the very thing that carries you through.

    Lead like Noah.

    …

    Written by John Gamades, author of WAR: A Tactical Guide for Christian Men and Conquer: Daily Devotions for the Christian Man

    Matt Trayler

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  • Do You Trust Me?

    Do You Trust Me?

    I remember doing a teambuilding activity as a kid in Scouts, one of those dreaded trust falls. Standing on the edge of a picnic table, arms crossed over my chest, I closed my eyes and fell backward. Behind me stood five other 13-year-old boys with their arms outstretched, ready to catch me.

    That fall only lasted a second, but in that moment, it felt like ten. Ten seconds of wondering:
     Can they catch me? Will they?

    That question, Will they?, is the reason most people now roll their eyes at trust falls. They’ve become the punchline of teambuilding jokes. But why?

    Because deep down, we struggle with trust. We fear what might happen if we truly let go. And that’s not just true on the edge of a picnic table.

    “Do you trust Me?”

    That’s the question God whispered to me this morning during my quiet time, literally 20 minutes ago.

    And life is happening right now. I’m about to leave for a funeral. It’s the middle of a packed work week, loaded with projects and deadlines. At the end of the week, I’m driving one of my kids to Arizona for his sophomore year of college… 1,600 miles away, 25 hours by car. Two weeks later, we drop off his sister at her school. Then, just like that, the house will be empty again for the next nine months. In the middle of all this, God leans in and asks…

    “Do you trust Me?”

    With my kids?
     With my marriage?
     With my finances?
     With my to-do list?
     With my aging mom?

    If I’m being honest, I have a habit of trusting myself more than anyone else, including God. I believe He can do all things. I’ve got full faith in His power. But will He?

    That’s where I get stuck.

    My default has been to take over. To carry the load myself. It’s a pattern that’s been with me for decades and God is calling it out.

    “Do you trust Me?”

    When I opened my Bible this morning, like I often do, to a “random” page, I landed in Psalm 146. I’ve learned these moments are never random, and today, the words leapt off the page:

    Praise the Lord.

    Praise the Lord, my soul.

    I will praise the Lord all my life;

    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.

    Do not put your trust in princes,

    in human beings, who cannot save.

    When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;

    on that very day their plans come to nothing.

    Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,

    whose hope is in the Lord their God.

    He is the Maker of heaven and earth,
    the sea, and everything in them—
    he remains faithful forever.
    He upholds the cause of the oppressed
    and gives food to the hungry.
    The Lord sets prisoners free,
    the Lord gives sight to the blind,
    the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
    the Lord loves the righteous.
    The Lord watches over the foreigner
    and sustains the fatherless and the widow,
    but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

    The Lord reigns forever,
    your God, O Zion, for all generations.

    Praise the Lord.

    It describes the character of the God we’re called to trust:

    • He upholds the oppressed
    • He feeds the hungry
    • He sets prisoners free
    • He gives sight to the blind
    • He lifts up the broken
    • He watches over the outsider, the fatherless, and the widow
    • He reigns forever

    This is who God is. And He’s asking me to trust Him.

    So, here’s the prayer I wrote this morning, and maybe it’s a prayer for you too:

    God, today, help me to trust You. Help me release this fake trust I’ve placed in myself and turn my heart fully toward You. I trust You with my kids, my marriage, my finances, my business, my mom, and my health. In every area, shift my gaze toward You and away from the idol I’ve created in myself. I want to fall into Your arms with confidence, because I know You will catch me.

    …

    Written by John Gamades, author of WAR: A Tactical Guide for Christian Men and Conquer: Daily Devotions for the Christian Man

    Matt Trayler

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  • Experiencing God’s Pleasure As His Managers

    Experiencing God’s Pleasure As His Managers

    Whether at the start of a new year or the middle of one – as we are now – it is good not to dwell on the past but to enjoy the present and anticipate a promising future. Our failures, financial and otherwise, are behind us. Of course, our successes are behind us as well. We cannot rest on our laurels. We can approach each day with a clean slate. New opportunities await and there is much yet to be done.

    Our God-given stewardship responsibilities are lifelong. He is the owner, as 1 Chronicles 29:11 tells us: “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours.” But He has made us managers of what He owns. As Jesus expressed in one of His parables, “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them” (Matthew 25:14). 

    Each of us has been given a small plot where we serve in His vineyard, and we are to labor according to the gifts He has bestowed on us. With respect to financial matters, we are to be diligent in our work (Colossians 3:23-24); wise in our spending (Proverbs 21:20); purposeful in our saving (Proverbs 6:6-8); strategic in our investing (Ecclesiastes 11:2); and generous in our giving (2 Corinthians 9:7). 

    As Christ’s followers we learn how to do everything “in the name of the Lord Jesus” (Colossians 3:17); that is, on His behalf or in His place. That also means learning “to conform to everything I have commanded you” (Matthew 28:20). In the Lord’s presence our inner life will be transformed, and we will become the kind of people exhibiting His natural (and supernatural) course of action. In Jesus’ eyes, there is no good reason for not doing what He said to do, because He only tells us to do what is best.

    So, we are to be obedient because that is what disciples do. But that last phrase, “He only tells us to do what is best,” should comfort and encourage us. God has all the best information on what makes for a happy and fulfilling life, and He has given us these prescriptions for our good. 

    And when we use our gifts in obedience, we are doing what we were made to do – glorifying God and helping to advance His kingdom. There is nothing so personally satisfying. We see this in the award-winning film, Chariots of Fire, which tells in part the story of Eric Liddell, a Scot who became a gold medalist at the 1924 Olympics and later a missionary to China. 

    My favorite part of the film is the subplot between Eric and his sister, Jennie, who is concerned his running will take him away from his missionary efforts. In one scene, Eric tells Jennie the good news he has been accepted by the mission society to go to China. Then he adds, “But I’ve got a lot of running to do first. Jennie, Jennie, you’ve got to understand. I believe that God made me for a purpose — for China. But He also made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure…. To win is to honor Him.”

    In an emotional moment later, we see Eric in the final moments of his race. With head thrown back, legs pumping, arms flailing, he is exhilarated, having given his best to what he believed God called him to do. God was honored and Eric’s running called attention to, and gathered support for, his mission work.

    There are many ways each of us is called to serve the Lord. Exercising Spirit-led stewardship, properly managing the resources God entrusts to us, is one of them. It is your race. Run it with passion.  

    © 2025. Austin Pryor has 40 years of experience advising investors and is the founder of the Sound Mind Investing newsletter and website. He’s the author of The Sound Mind Investing Handbook which enjoys the endorsements of respected Christian teachers with more than 100,000 copies sold. Austin lives in Louisville, Kentucky, with his wife Susie. They have three grown sons and many grandchildren.

    Reflection/Discussion Questions

    1. How does it make you feel to read that God owns “everything in heaven and earth,” which includes your financial resources and all your material possessions? Do you believe that is true? Why or why not?
    2. What do you think it means in a practical, everyday sense to be a steward or manager of what God owns and has entrusted to your care? 
    3. Do you believe it is true that “He only tells us to do what is best”? What about when your  well-considered plans, even things you have prayed about, do not turn out as you expected or had hoped they would?
    4. Have you ever “felt God’s pleasure” while you were doing or pursuing something, as Eric Liddell did, or believed that He had truly called and gifted you to something specific? Explain your answer.           

    NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 6:6-8, 21:20; Ecclesiastes 11:2; 2 Corinthians 9:7; Colossians 3:23-24; Hebrews 12:1

    Challenge
    This might be a good week to pause and re-evaluate your attitude toward the things you “own,” considering the biblical teaching that God owns all things and that we are to serve as His stewards or managers of what we have been given.

    It might be helpful to meet with a small group, perhaps your CBMC team if you are in one, or a trusted friend or mentor to discuss your perspectives and have them share their own with you. What changes – if any – do you conclude might be necessary?

    Matt Trayler

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  • Getting Back To The Fundamentals Of Work

    Getting Back To The Fundamentals Of Work

    Vince Lombardi was a legendary coach in American professional football, leading the Green Bay Packers to five championships. He possessed great expertise as a coach, but one principle he always followed was to never forget the basics. Prior to the first practice of every new season, Lombardi would always raise an object in his hand and say, “Men, this is a football.”

    His players knew what a football was. They had already spent many years participating in the sport. But Lombardi understood the importance of never losing sight of the fundamentals, much as a virtuoso pianist continues to practice scales on the keyboard after many years of concert performances.

    In a similar way, for those of us who are called to serve Jesus Christ in the business and professional world, we too should pause from time to time to review and remind ourselves of “the basics” – the ‘why’ of what we do every day in the marketplace. As we enter the second half of the calendar year, here are some of the biblical principles that apply to all of us engaged in the marketplace:

    Whom we ultimately work for. We typically go to work hoping to please and impress our supervisor, manager, CEO, or owner of the company. But we’re told to work as if the nameplate in the boss’s office reads, ‘Jesus Christ.’ “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).

    Quality of our work. Consider the exquisite detail in which God has designed our world. The wonder and beauty of His work are beyond description. If the Lord demonstrates such excellence in His work, should we not strive to pursue the same excellence as His image-bearers? “So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him, male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). “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” (Colossians 3:17).

    Our purpose in work. In God’s eternal plan for this world, He has designed each of us with unique gifts, talents and abilities. All are intended to bring Him honor and reflect His character. “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10). “I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well” (Psalm 139:).

    Fully equipped for our work. Education and training may prepare us to carry out specific job responsibilities, but our ‘guidebook’ for how we are to go about our work is God’s Word, the Bible. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

    Who we truly represent. When hired by a company or an organization, we are expected to properly represent our employer. Ultimately, however, as followers of Christ we are to represent the Lord, communicating the saving, life-transforming message of the Gospel to anyone and everyone we encounter. “We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:20).

    © 2025. 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.

    Reflection/Discussion Questions

    1. When you got up this morning to get ready for work, why were you doing it? To earn money to pay the bills; work toward a promotion; engage in something you enjoy doing? Have you ever awakened with the idea, ‘I am going to work for God’? Explain your answer.
    2. How often – if ever – do you review the basics, the fundamentals of what you are doing, whether it involves your working skills, your organization’s mission, or what it requires to excel at a favorite pastime? What might be some benefits of doing that periodically?
    3. Can you think of other principles from the Bible that you have found useful in your everyday work responsibilities? If so, discuss one or two of them. 
    4. What difference does it make whether we consciously approach our work each day from a perspective of being God’s servants and representatives?

    NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: Proverbs 22:29; Ecclesiastes 2:24-25; 1 Corinthians 3:9; Ephesians 3:20, 4:12 

    Challenge for This Week
    Perceiving our lives and work from the teachings of the Bible is what many people term a “biblical worldview.” Do you think your current worldview and approach to work reflect the principles from the Scriptures? If not, how might you try to change that? Or what areas do you think might need some improvement? 

    This week, consider setting aside time to discuss this with a trusted friend, mentor, or small group of people, seeing in action the principle from Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.”

    Matt Trayler

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  • ‘Purgamentum Init, Exit Purgamentum’

    ‘Purgamentum Init, Exit Purgamentum’

    The inscription on my new tee shirt, a birthday gift from my daughter, read in big bold letters the Latin phrase, “PURGAMENTUM INIT, EXIT PURGAMENTUM,” an old Latin phrase I came across many years ago. On the shirt, beneath that inscription, it read in smaller red letters, “GARBAGE IN, GARBAGE OUT.” My children heard me state those same words many times as I attempted to influence what they watched on television or at the movies, the kinds of the music they listened to, and the books they read.

    ‘Garbage in, garbage out’ was a phrase popularized during the early days of computers, meaning that if faulty programming were put into them, faulty results would come out. This applies to us as humans, too.

    The human mind is a wonderful and extremely complex computer. In fact, during the earliest days of space exploration, a dedicated group of African American women received the nickname of “computers,” since they were using their minds to compute very complicated mathematical formulas that would make launching men into space possible. Their story is told through the theatrical film, “Hidden Figures.”

    Receiving daily input. However, as with any of today’s electronic computers, what comes out of the human mind is no better than the value or validity of what is programmed into it. We begin receiving data while still in our mother’s womb, and we continue receiving input – information of all kinds – throughout our lives. This vast collection of data shapes our development of the ways we think and respond to the world around us, ultimately our personal worldviews. One’s worldview determines values, and these values in turn influence one’s behavior. In spite of this reality, many of us go through life without ever considering the validity or truth of those things that have shaped our thinking.

    Until I began to read what God, the Creator of all things, had to say in the Bible, I too had never taken time to examine what was influencing my thinking. Whether as a fighter pilot during the Vietnam War or a commercial airline pilot, I never paused to wonder, ‘Why do I think the way I do? What factors have served to influence and form my values, opinions, and the things I hold dear?’

    Conformed to this world? However, after becoming a follower of Jesus Christ, I began to read the Word of God and discover statements like this from the apostle Paul, who wrote in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will.” Was the information I was taking in from the media in all its forms conforming me into the “pattern of this world”?

    With the myriads of written publications, television, films, radio, and the Internet, we live in an era of information overload. We are constantly being bombarded with all kinds of data, some of it good, some of it not good at all. After reading Romans 12:2 and other passages from the Scriptures, I realized if I am to maintain clear thinking, my challenge is to sift through all of this information and determine which is valid and based on truth, and which is based solely on the shifting sands of culture and godless values.  

    Finding the way to truth. To effectively make these assessments, I concluded that it is necessary for me – and I believe for all of us – to ensure that we are programming our minds, our ‘computers,’ with what we know to be true. As Jesus said, recorded in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” Knowing Him and seeking to follow His teachings in the Bible is the best way to avoid the trap of “purgamentum init, exit purgamentum” – garbage in, garbage out.

    William “Fritz” Klumpp served as a pilot with the U.S. Navy, including numerous combat missions during the Vietnam War. He is a former commercial airline pilot, real estate executive, and Executive Director of CBMC. 

    Reflection/Discussion Questions

    1. When you hear the phrase, “Garbage in, garbage out,” what comes to your mind?
    2. With all the information that’s available to you each day, whether through the print or broadcast media, the Internet or other sources, how do you decide the way you process that data and how it influences you?
    3. What do you think it means to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind”? How does this differ from being “conformed to the pattern of this world”?
    4. Jesus Christ claimed that He is “the way, the truth and the life.” How can or should this declaration affect how we approach each workday – the job assignments we handle, the people we meet and interact with, our overall goals and objectives, the way we assess truth?

    NOTE: If you have a Bible and would like to read more, consider the following passages: 
    2 Corinthians 10:2-5; Philippians 4:8; Galatians 5:22-23; Colossians 3:2-10; 1 Peter 1:13-14

    Challenge for This Week
    This week, find someone you can talk with candidly – a trusted friend or advisor, mentor, or accountability group – and together evaluate how you are doing in terms of “purgamentum init, exit purgamentum”: garbage in, garbage out.

    Consider what steps you are taking to ensure that your natural computer – your mind – is being filled with the right kinds of programming, the right data to enable you to be and to become the person that God wants you to be.

    Matt Trayler

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