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In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten continues looking at Bible passages on labor, work, wealth, and economics. In the opening pages of Genesis, God forms the original and foundational economic unit: the household. Pastor Rusten explores the particular roles of men and women in the household.

We often think about the fourth commandment only as a command to rest on the Sabbath day, but it is much more than that. It completely reshapes our understanding of why we work and what our work is for. In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten explores how this commandment to rest is also a commandment to work.

Does the Bible have anything to say about my career and my workweek? In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten looks at the beginning of the Bible story when God first creates humanity in his image. At that point, God gave them a vocation that fit that image, what many theologians call "the cultural mandate" or "the dominion mandate." This has profound implications for our careers and labors.

God made the world in such a way that little things add up. A field bears fruit after many steps of cultivation and care. We mature by walking step-by-step in Christ. In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten begins a series on a biblical view of work and vocation. He starts by looking at Proverbs 24:30–34 and considering the Bible's teaching on habits. He discusses the importance of cultivating holy habits that are in step with the Spirit as we grow into the likeness of Christ.

Crucial to the witness of the Church in the world is maintaining the distinction between the Church and the world. In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten takes a look at Paul's commands in 1 Corinthians 5:9–6:5, which are increasingly controversial in our world today.

The Gospels often say that Jesus fulfills prophecy, but we don't always understand how. For example, how does Jesus fulfill the prophecy "Out of Egypt I called my son" (Matthew 2:15)? In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten considers how the birth of Jesus fulfills some of these prophecies and why that gives us good reason to celebrate this Christmas.

Within the Church, there are good kinds of unity and bad kinds of unity. There are good kinds of division and bad kinds of division. While the goal is that the Church be united in the same mind and the same judgment, this doesn't happen automatically. We must pursue proper unity and strive towards this goal. In this Episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten takes a look at 1 Corinthians and considers how Paul addresses the factionalism that was present there.

The church in Corinth was a mess! Divisions, incest, and drunkenness at the Lord's Supper are a few of the problems we learn are going on there. Yet Paul expresses his gratitude to God for them, and even says he is confident Jesus will sustain and be faithful to them. In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten considers the reality of God's grace and the messiness of Church.

Jesus commands his disciples to love their enemies because he wants them to reflect the kindness and love of God expressed in the Gospel. In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten looks at this section of Jesus' "Sermon on the Plain" in Luke 6 and considers what it means to love our enemies.

The letter of Jude is a letter of warning. It seeks to convict, equip, and strengthen its readers to stand against the temptations of unbelief, sexual immorality, and rebellion against God's authority. It encourages God's people to persevere in the faith once for all delivered to the saints. But the power that makes all this encouragement possible is found in the last two verses of the letter. In this Episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten finishes the letter of Jude by looking at its concluding doxology, where we learn that Christ holds us and keeps us from stumbling.

There is a sense in which the gospel of Jesus is both "against the world" and "for the world." This isn't just a theoretical tension, but a tension that shows up in our relationships and lives in tumultuous ways. It is a tension that we are called to walk through in faith and the love of God. In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten considers the letter of Jude, specifically the call on the church to persevere in times of increased tension.

Who doesn't want to be liked? Who doesn't want to be thought of as wonderfully winsome and radically relevant by all people? It's a temptation for the church today, and it's been a temptation in the past as well. So, Jesus warns his disciples of it. What might it mean if everyone speaks well of you? Jesus compares this situation to the false prophets that went before, and he pronounces his "woe" upon them. But how does this square with things like the expectation that pastors are to "be well thought of by outsiders" (1 Corinthians 9:22) or Paul's method of becoming "all things to all people, that by all means I might save some" (1 Timothy 3:7)? In this episode of Bible Thoughts, Pastor Rusten looks at Jesus' warning and considers these questions.