Danny Panter

Shepherd

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 1:12-15 (day six)

“Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live. For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life, so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone.” – 2 Peter 1:12–15

Peter understood his role. Jesus had told him, after all, “Feed my sheep.” Peter went from a fisherman to a shepherd, tasked with caring for God’s flock and protecting them from those who would “steal, kill, and destroy.” Until the very end of his life, Peter embraced this responsibility with courage, reminding and encouraging these young churches to remain faithful.

Who are you responsible for? Who has God placed in your life to remind, encourage, and protect? The same God who works in you always intends to work through you—for the good of others and for the glory of His Son.

Be a good shepherd.

Work

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 1:8-11 (day six)

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, make every effort to be sure of your calling and election.” — 2 Peter 1:10

“So then, my dear friends… continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence, for it is God who works in you both to will and to act for his good pleasure.” — Philippians 2:12–13

It’s possible to profess faith in Jesus, belong to a church, and yet live with little concern for obeying him. Some even claim faith while choosing a willful, immoral life. This is what troubles Peter.

The faithful don’t stand still or drift—they press on. They take seriously what Jesus has secured for them. Faith is not just a set of hidden ideas; it is a living commitment to a Person. True faith shows itself in action—visible, tangible, unmistakable—just like Jesus himself.

Expectations

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 1:5-8 (day six)

²⁰And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted! Mark 4:20

Where there is faith, there is the expectation of growth. That is how the Kingdom of God works. Last week, Peter reminded us that God’s divine power has already given us everything we need for life and godliness. That is a remarkable claim—especially when we remember that the early church had far fewer resources than we do today. Yet they grew.

What becomes clear is this: genuine faith always produces growth and bears fruit in the lives of others. It cannot remain stagnant. To belong to Christ is to be drawn into His life, and that life is always moving outward—maturing, multiplying, and blessing others.

Growing Together

Re:Verse passage – 2 Peter 1:1-4 (day six)

When Peter wrote his second letter, he wasn’t addressing individuals. He wrote to churches – communities that gathered to hear the Word read aloud and discern its meaning together. In the first century, Scripture was always received in community, not in isolation.

That matters when we read Peter’s encouragement: “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life” (v.3). This is not merely an individual promise but a corporate one. Together, the church has everything it needs to grow in godliness. Together, we are called to add to our faith goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection, and love.

In a world where faith is often privatized, Peter reminds us that the Christian life is not a solo pursuit. Growth in Christ is something we discern, pursue, and embody together.

Future Grace

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 13:15-22 (day six)

Nehemiah 13 ends on a sour note. The people who once repented with sincerity fall back into old patterns. Yet this disappointment is not the end of the story—it is meant to stir in us a longing for more. What Nehemiah and the kings of Israel could not accomplish, Jesus the Messiah fulfills.

Through the lens of promise, Nehemiah becomes part of God’s larger story. Grace is the true actor—seen in the return from exile, the rebuilding of the city, and God’s readiness to welcome His people back again and again. As Joel 2:12-13 reminds us, God is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

If there were a Nehemiah chapter 14, it may well have displayed God’s readiness to receive their repentance AGAIN, not on their righteousness, but on Christ’s (Romans 3:18). Nehemiah’s ending leaves us hungry for Jesus, the One who brings lasting renewal.

Singing with Joy

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 12:40-47 (day six)

²⁷For the dedication of the new wall of Jerusalem, the Levites throughout the land were asked to come to Jerusalem to assist in the ceremonies. They were to take part in the joyous occasion with their songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps, and lyres. Nehemiah 12:7

Paul writes in Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Singing is not ornamental to the Christian life; it is essential. When God’s people sing, we engage our whole being- body, mind, and heart- in response to His mighty works. Singing shapes what we feel and believe, stirring our affections and embodying our theology in real time and space.

The Benedictine monks understood this well: they sang the Psalms seven times a day, all 150 every week. Singing was the nervous system of their life together, giving order and priority to everything else they did.

In our age of “me and Jesus” spirituality, singing together loudly proclaims otherwise. Satan does not want us to sing because joyful, embodied singing changes us. It reshapes our priorities, deepens our joy, and bears witness to the real story of God.

Rhythms

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 10:28-30 (day six)

In Nehemiah’s day, Israel renewed their commitment to God’s law, which included their rhythms. They pledged to honor the Sabbath, observe sacred days, and trust God enough to pause their productivity. This wasn’t legalism, it was a rhythm of resistance against the pull of the surrounding culture.

We, too, live in a world that glorifies busyness and productivity. But repentance means more than avoiding sin; it means reordering our lives around the reign of King Jesus.

What rhythms shape your week? Is there space for rest, worship, and dependence on God? Or have our calendars been quietly discipled by the culture around us?

Renewal begins when God’s people not only believe differently, but live differently.

Let’s make room for rhythms that reflect Kingdom priorities.

Real Faith

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 9:1-3 (day six)

Because of all this we are entering into a binding covenant in written form; our leaders, our Levites, and our priests have affixed their names on the sealed document. Nehemiah 9:38

Confession and repentance go together, but they’re not the same. In Nehemiah 9, confession happens in verses 1-3, but repentance doesn’t occur until verse 38 when they renew their covenant to obey God. Confession is naming our sin before God. Repentance is turning from obeying the false gods of this world and re-aligning our lives under King Jesus.

They’re the two sides of real faith. Confession without repentance stays stuck. Repentance without confession misses the heart.

When repentance becomes communal, it creates a new culture—one shaped not by the age, but by allegiance to Christ.

Generosity

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 8:9-12 (day six)

So the people went away to eat and drink at a festive meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great joy because they had heard God’s words and understood them. Nehemiah 8:12

Ezra, Nehemiah, and the Levites make one thing unmistakably clear: this day was sacred, and sacred days are cause for celebration and generosity.

Why does hearing and understanding God’s Word lead to generosity?

Because the Word of God always moves in two directions: upward and outward. It draws us upward in love for the Lord with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength. And it sends us outward in love for our neighbor.

When the Word takes root, it doesn’t end with us. It overflows.

Conspiracy

Re:Verse passage – Nehemiah 6:10-19 (day six)

“They all wanted to frighten us, thinking, ‘Their hands will drop from the work, and it will not be done.’ But now, strengthen my hands.” Nehemiah 6:9

A conspiracy was afoot in Judah. Lies, false prophets, and even death threats—each one a calculated attempt to paralyze the people of God through fear. The strategy was simple: if fear could take hold, the rebuilding of Jerusalem would stop.

This is a needed reminder for us today. We also have an enemy—the father of lies—whose schemes are aimed at immobilizing the work of renewal in our own lives, in our churches, and in our communities. Fear is still his favorite weapon.

Nehemiah’s response points us to a better way. Instead of shrinking back, he prayed: “But now, strengthen my hands.” When fear pressed in, he pressed on, trusting God to provide the courage and strength to finish the work.

Where fear would stop us, God’s strength can steady us.