The apostle Peter’s second epistle was addressed to those “who have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (v. 1). II Peter is one of the epistles commonly called “general epistles” by men seeing as there was no specific person addressed. Yet, when I read this, I read of a particular group of people addressed. Peter addresses those who have “like precious faith”! In that sense, he has specified one group of people as his target and excluded the majority of the world. Not everyone enjoys a “like precious faith” with Peter. Do you, dear one?

            The two English words, “like precious,” are derived from the single Greek word “isotimos,” meaning equally honored. The term “faith” or “Pistis” in the Greek has to do with persuasion and conviction. Peter thus says that his writing is to those who share an equally honored conviction or persuasion through Christ. Do you share this with Peter? If not, you can change that today.

            If you would believe that Jesus is the Son of God (Jn. 8:24), and repent of your sins (Lk. 13:3), you can then confess your faith in Christ (Rom. 10:10), and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). The same writer of II Peter preached the first gospel sermon in Acts 2, and made it clear that when we repent and are baptized, we will be forgiven of sins and receive the “gift of the Holy Spirit.” This gift connects us in fellowship with other Christians, including Peter, who possess a “like precious faith” to our own! How amazing it is to think that we who accept the Lord’s plan of salvation are children of God as Peter was, and have access to the same blessings (Rom. 8:16-17)!

            What are you doing to maintain that “like precious faith” (II Pet. 3:18)? Let’s make it a priority to tell others about this faith and bring others with us to Heaven.

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

When the walls of Jerusalem were erected, and only the gates remained to be hung, Israel’s enemies again tried to stop the progress. Seeing that brute force would not work (Neh. 4:7-23), Sanballat and Geshem tried a more “diplomatic” approach where perhaps they could get Nehemiah to compromise with them. They asked him to stop the work and meet them in one of the villages in the plain of Ono (Neh. 6:2-3). Nehemiah was not falling for this, and refused, even though the men hounded him for a meeting (v. 4-5).

When Nehemiah refused, Sanballat sent an open letter (Neh. 6:5) accusing him and the Jews of rebellion against Xerxes. Understand, an “open letter” was a form of insult against Nehemiah. Yet, when insulted, Nehemiah spoke the truth that Sanballat made up these charges. He then prayed for God’s strength (v. 8-9). He faced yet another test when Shemiah tried to get him to hide in the Temple under the ruse that Nehemiah needed to do this to save his life (v. 10-11). Thankfully, Nehemiah refused to listen and stood his ground with his people, again turning to God in this time (v. 14).

Satan does the same to us. First, he tempts us to give in to our lusts and sin against God (Jas. 1:14-15). If temptations that lead to rebellion do not lure us, then he uses other tactics, like compromise, to lead us away from the Lord. We see this in Matthew 4 and Luke 4 when Satan tempted Christ. When other tactics failed, he tried to get Jesus to compromise. If Jesus bowed and worshipped Satan, He would have the “kingdoms of the world”! He could avoid the cross altogether (Matt. 4:8-10; Lk. 4:5-8)! Why not compromise, Jesus? Isn’t this a way to “have your cake and eat it too”?

Compromise with the truth has been Satan’s tactic for years. He wants men to feel good about their partial obedience and then justify the behavior we want to do. For example, we might not yield to the temptation to be homosexual (Rom. 1:26-27), but Satan wants us to say we love others and will accept this behavior in others (ignoring Rom. 1:32). Similarly, we might not drink alcohol (I Pet. 4:3), but Satan says we ought not to condemn others who drink and exercise their “rights” in the USA. If someone takes a stand for truth and says that there is only one way to Heaven, through the teachings of Christ (Jn. 14:6), Satan’s minions will hound us and call us “narrow-minded,” and a “Pharisee.”

Yes, when Satan fails at getting us to turn from the Lord, he will try to get us to compromise. Friend, what will we do about this? What have we done? I hope we haven’t fallen into the trap of compromising with sin, but if so, know that there is still time to repent while we live (II Pet. 3:9; Heb. 3:7-8). If you need to be baptized for the remission of sins, then do it (Acts 2:38; I Pet. 3:21). Don’t compromise with false doctrine on this issue or any other! Take advantage of the time we have and do what God says without compromise or apology -- just like Nehemiah!

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

It never fails that when people determine to do what the Lord says, they will meet with criticism and ridicule. Friend, has anyone ever criticized you for doing the Lord’s will? Of course, it can get worse than mere critique. Family and friends have rejected some for being Christians. I know people whose parents have disowned them and deny they are even their children! Yes, some people are hated to this degree for merely trying to do what God has said.

I wish I could say this is a new phenomenon, but it is not. When the Jews determined to rebuild the walls and began to make progress, Sanballat was there to mock them (Neh. 4:1)! He was greatly angered that they were even trying this! Remember, this was the same man who was grieved that Nehemiah wanted to come and help the people in the first place (Neh. 2:10). He had ridiculed the people already and falsely charged Nehemiah and the leaders with rebellion (2:19-20). Now, the people’s success fostered a whole new level of hate in him (Neh. 4:2)!

Tobiah made fun of the people and their work. He said it was such a disgrace that a fox could come up and knock the stones down (Neh. 4:3)! When these men heard that the people were content to do God’s will, and ignored the ridicule, they increased the intensity of the threats and plotted to physically fight the people (Neh. 4:7-8). Thankfully, the people were resolved and ready to defend their work if needed (Neh. 4:16-23).

Yes, these people faced their share of “haters,” as will we. Are you ready to stand for the Lord in spite of what others might say? Will you continue to stand when the hatred and harsh words and actions become more intense? I am thankful to God that these people had Nehemiah to encourage them during this hard time (Neh. 4:14-15). Who is your encourager to continue in the fight? Who are you encouraging? Others need encouragement as well, you know!

Facing opposition is something that is promised (II Tim. 3:12). It is not a matter of “if” but “when.” Jesus said, “If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for my name’s sake, because they know not him that sent me” (Jn. 15:18-21).

When we strive to act as the Lord, why would we be surprised that the world treats us as they once treated the Lord? Rather than being caught up in hate, or trying to exact revenge somehow, let us take the words of Christ to heart and remember that there is something better awaiting the child of God (I Cor. 15:58; Rom. 8:18; II Cor. 4:17)!

Don’t let the “haters” discourage you. Pray for their souls, and pray for their change of heart (Matt. 5:44-48). The saddest part of all is the fact that these people are so wrapped up in hate that they do not see that their souls are in jeopardy daily. Remember, though, that the suffering in Hell for them will be far worse than the suffering I endure at their hands. May I love them more than they hate me. May I be active in leading someone to Christ who used to hate but now has the opportunity to see Heaven because He loves the Lord and loves His children (I Jn. 5:2-4).

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

After yesterday’s study, I got to thinking more about all of the names in Nehemiah chapter three. Why did God want His writers to include lists of names from time to time? Why do we read all of those names in Genesis 5 and 10? Why do we read all the names in Exodus 6:14-30 or in the Chronicles? Why name people in Nehemiah, chapters three and seven? Why all of the names in Matthew 1, Luke 3, Romans 16, Hebrews 11, and other places throughout the Scripture?

One answer is that on several occasions, these names are recorded, so we see the genealogy that brings us from Adam to Christ. This is true (Heb. 7:14; Isa. 11:1-2; Gen. 49:10). At other times, however, this is not the case. In our reading, the names in Nehemiah three and seven are not listed for this purpose.

In the case of Nehemiah, let me suggest that those names are listed as a memorial to special people. It memorialized those who served the Lord faithfully and some who did not “put … their necks to the work” (3:5)! The overwhelming majority, however, stand out for their work in rebuilding a wall that had been in ruins for decades! We might think of it as a memorial to them and their sacrifice. This list is not unlike the list of names found in Romans 16 or Hebrews 11, where we read a “hall of fame” of sorts of faithful people.

If you have not done so, spend some time in Nehemiah chapters three and seven and some of the other Scriptures cited above. You would be well-served to take some time and study the people named in those books. Don’t get intimidated by their pronunciation. Instead, look up these people in a Bible dictionary or other Bible study book and see what you can learn about these faith heroes. You might be surprised to learn these people’s connection with the overall narrative of the Bible, and how, at times, their lives intertwine with the lineage of Christ!

Besides this, a study of these people will inspire us to higher service to God. After all, if they endured the hardships they did and remained faithful, does this not show me that I can do it as well (Heb. 12:1; Rom. 15:4)?

- Jarrod M. Jacobs

Nehemiah chapter three is one of those chapters that we are prone to skip over because of all of the names. I pray that you don't do this in your reading. As we read and apply the text to our lives today (Rom. 15:4), whether or not we pronounce the names correctly isn't the point. The point is to understand what was happening and how this affected the nation of Judah.

First, we see that when Nehemiah encouraged the people to “build up the wall of Jerusalem,” the people responded by saying, “let us rise up and build” (Neh. 2:17-18)! Nehemiah three records that these people were more than just “talk”! They went into action! They didn’t allow days and months to go by before they started. They started repairing the walls immediately!

A second thing we see is that these people did the work in pieces that could be handled by each respective family. One family didn’t rebuild one-half of the wall or take on more than they could handle. Each family took a section that they could handle and began the work! There was much to do, and as the old saying goes, “Many hands make for light work.” This was the case here. All the people united in a common goal and made the work much easier to handle.

Nehemiah 3:12 mentions the fact that Shallum’s daughters worked with their father to help rebuild the walls. I think this is significant. These daughters deserve special praise for the work they did in helping to finish a job that God wanted them to do.

I hope that these statements will stir our minds to make applications to ourselves. No, we don’t have a wall to rebuild, but we do have work to do in God’s kingdom (I Cor. 15:58). We have daily work that needs to be done, and we need to make the effort! It’s one thing to “talk” about what needs to be done in the Lord’s kingdom, and it’s quite another thing to do it (Jas. 2:18-26)! Examine yourself, friend. Are you active in the Lord’s service, or are you just good at pointing out what needs to be done? Don’t be like the Pharisees (Matt. 23:3-4)!

Similarly, let’s remember that we all have work to do in the Lord’s kingdom (Gal. 6:9). It’s not laid at the feet of the preacher or elders or deacons alone. Yes, these men have work to be done in God’s kingdom just as everyone else does! We mustn’t shirk our duties, though, thinking someone else will do them. Our lack of action may be the point of weakness that Satan needs to tear down and destroy a life, or a family, or a church! Don’t be the weak link!

Just as Shallum’s daughters went out and worked as the sons did, let’s remember that in Christ, we are all one (Gal. 3:28). Yes, we have different roles to fulfill at times, but everyone who is a child of God is loved and respected by God and needs to be busy in His work! Far from being misogynistic, Paul speaks highly of his sisters in Christ. Let’s encourage our sisters and our brothers in the Lord to do the work God demands.

You won’t get out of this world alive, but you can leave this world ready for the next. Are you ready (II Cor. 6:2)? What do you need to do to get ready (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38)? Do as the Jews in Nehemiah’s day did (Neh. 3). Stop wasting time and get busy with the Lord’s work!

- Jarrod M. Jacobs