A simple plan for biblical leadership development

Tom Harper June 9, 2020

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One of the primary ways we hear from God is by reading the Bible. So many people wonder how they can know his will for their lives, and yet they never crack open his Word. Maybe it’s because they believe it’s just an ancient book with little to say about their life today.

On the contrary:

The word of God is living and active (Heb 4:12).

Strange to think of a book as alive. How is that possible? Here are eight proof texts that describe how the Word actively lives in us and changes us:

God’s Word is more than words.  It is a person: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

It is inspired.  “For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).

It is eternal.  “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35).

It is perfect.  “And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times” (Psalm 12:6).

It convicts.  “It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).

It spreads.  “But the word of God continued to spread and flourish” (Acts 12:24).

It clashes.  Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (Ephesians 6:17)

It guides.  “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105).

The first step of any Christian leader’s personal development plan should be a Bible reading regimen. The instructions are simple: Read every day; whenever you come across something that speaks to you, do what it says.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” James 1:22 is our #leadership mandate.

He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” – Luke 11:28

Sometimes reading books of the Bible straight through can jumpstart a leader’s spiritual life. When I do this, reading all the rich context enlightens the Word for me in a whole new way. If you’re used to reading only a handful of verses at a time, or hearing sermons that focus on short passages, this will be refreshing.

If we want to develop our leadership and our life, we should begin with the living book.

Excerpted from Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership (DeepWater Books, 2019). For more information about the publisher and the book, visit https://deepwaterbooks.com/.

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Tom Harper is publisher of BiblicalLeadership.com and executive chairman of Networld Media Group, a business-to-business publisher and event producer. He has written five books, including Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership (DeepWater Books, 2019) as well as the Christian business fable Through Colored Glasses and its sequel Inner Threat (DeepWater, 2022). Learn More »

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