As Christians, we are here to serve (Matt. 20:25-28). When we are being productive, we are actually doing good works, which is part of the purpose for which God created us (Eph. 2:10). A good approach to getting things done reduces the friction in doing good and also amplifies our ability to do good. The result is that we can be of more benefit to others with less snags, stress, and confusing systems. (Matt Perman)

by Cesar Vigil-Ruiz

Feliz Friday! It’s flocks week, which means most of you will be spending time with people from other affinity groups. Praise God for His powerful grace to save many unlike ourselves! Before you go (unless you already went), here are this week’s links. Enjoy!

• Desiring God had a post earlier this week focusing on short-term missions, using Epaphroditus as an example of how missions was done biblically. If you have ever gone on short-term missions, have supported short-term missions, or perhaps even desire to go on one (pretty much… every Christian), this is for you.
• Since the culture has sought to redefine marriage, and many are happy to live together without pursuing marriage, how would you answer the question, “Why get married at all?” Here’s seven reasons to get you started. Ryan T. Anderson addresses the prior question, “What is Marriage?“, and CBMW addresses cohabitation (“why get married when you can live together?”) and its sinful effects.
• Do you ever wonder what to say to someone when you’re told, “You’re only a Christian because you grew up in the US; you wouldn’t be one if you grew up in the Middle East”? Here’s a short response that is actually very uplifting when you think about it.
• Meditating on the Word of God can be hard to carve time out for, but Scripture calls for us to think deeply and regularly on God’s Word. Yet, how often do we see mention of meditation on blogs or in the books that we read? Tim Kerr has some helpful meditations on meditation, which is the first in a series of posts he plans on writing concerning this vital area of the Christian life.
• Staying on the theme of meditation, Joel Beeke gives some thoughts on how the Puritans meditated. It does sound foreign to meditate, but this makes me want to grow further in my love for Christ and His Word. I hope it’s the same for you.
• If you were given the opportunity to give a presentation of the Christian faith to a non-Christian, how would you go about doing that? As you ponder that (I’d challenge you to come up with a strategy before reading the link), Tim Keller expounds Blaise Pascal’s method for commending the Christian worldview. You may way to adopt his approach as a result.
• A couple weeks back I had linked to articles from the series, “Manhood and Technology.” Well, the series is complete and have a lot to offer us men. I’d highly recommend this series to you in order to become more discerning in our use of digital resources in a distinctly Christian manner.
• Justin Taylor recently interviewed David Wells concerning his new book, God in the Whirlwind, which would be well worth your time to watch. The video series on Crossway has just finished, where you can watch the previous clips, along with the written interview. Again, this comes at a good time while Singles and Grace Life are going over the attributes of God. Don’t miss out!
• How prepared would you say you are in sending off your kids to college, or adulthood, for that matter? What hurdles have to be overcome in order for your kids to be witnesses of Christ in the universities? Alex Chediak (whose earlier work Thriving at College is a very balanced book written for the collegian), in anticipation of his new book Preparing Your Teens for College, has identified some potential threats that are posed to our teens and some reminders of what parents can do to foster a healthy Christian home. The links at the end are helpful articles as well.
• As the culture and media continue to push back on religious liberty, we need to be informed and ready to give an answer for the hope we have in Christ. The most recent news item is the Arizona Religious Liberty Bill, which was vetoed on Wednesday, along with a federal judge’s striking down Texas’ ban on same-sex marriage. To get caught up, here’s a post from CBMW that gives the background information on what has happened, along with Christian responses. Don’t forget Denny Burke’s insightful analysis (all separate links), as well as Al Mohler’s The Briefing from yesterday.

That will do it for this week! Hope your weekend is filled with words that build up one another’s faith, and that Sunday is bursting with praise to our God. See you there!

Soli Deo Gloria