The 3rd Habit of Servant Leaders: Study and Application of Scripture

Mark Twain once said, “Most people are bothered by those passages in Scripture that they cannot understand; but as for me, I always noticed that the passages in Scripture that trouble me the most are those that I do understand.”

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (KJV) says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

Skeptics of God’s Word argue that it was written by men and is therefore fallible. It is true that God’s Word was recorded by men, but it originated with God. In fact, it is God’s personal letter to those He loves and it provides tremendous benefit for His people. It teaches us, corrects us, trains us and transforms our thinking so we can be more like Him in our leadership roles.

Four of the Ten Commandments deal with our relationship with God and six of them deal with how we interact with each other. When Jesus was asked what is the greatest commandment, He responded with “to love God with all of our being.” The fact is that God’s Word is built upon a simple foundation: love God and love other people. If you only use the Bible to study and apply the practical wisdom it contains about dealing with people and overcoming our internal challenges, it absolutely stands on its own as the greatest book ever written. The Scriptures are God’s Holy Word, delivered by holy men, to teach holy truths and to make people holy.

There are five steps required for the Servant Leader to cultivate the third habit of Knowing and Applying Scripture: Hear, Read, Study, Meditate and Memorize. As Servant Leaders, you probably know these steps already, but are you practicing them? If not, it takes time to develop them as habits. If you haven’t stored away God’s Word beforehand, it is impossible to bring its power into play when you are faced with the hard choices of the day. You can’t give what you haven’t received.

Perhaps you can remember a time when you were about to make a big mistake by giving into some temptation and God’s Word pulled you back from the precipice. Perhaps you remember a time when a burden was almost too hard to bear and you found comfort in God’s Word. Or perhaps you remember a time when you weren’t too sure of the path your life was supposed to take and things appeared to be very scary, yet you found courage and confidence in the promises of God.

The Servant Leader’s challenge of the day is to go and make new memories with God’s Word. As you prepare for the challenges ahead by studying scripture, ask yourself the following three questions to help guide your progress:

• In what area of use and application of God’s Word do I feel most confident?
• In which area do I feel the weakest?
• What will it take to increase my level of effectiveness in my weaker areas?

And Servant Leaders, keep the following in mind as you take up this new challenge: “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” - 2 Timothy 2:15 (KJV)