God’s Word: The Power To Transform Your Life

Leadership Matters, part 10 of 10

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
(Hebrews 4:12)

The Proven Principle: Effective leaders know it’s not just about the TASK* but about the PEOPLE they’re leading.

*The Sobering Reality: Leaders cannot _IMPART_ what they don’t already _POSSESS_.

Since God’s Word Can Transform Our Lives…

I) …WE _READ_ IT

“[Ezra] read it aloud from daybreak till noon…”
(Nehemiah 8:3a)

II) …WE _LISTEN CLOSELY_ TO IT

“…all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.”
(Nehemiah 8:3c)

III) …WE _RESPECT_ IT

“…as he opened it, the people all stood up.”
(Nehemiah 8:5)

IV) …WE _TEACH AND EXPLAIN_ IT

“They read from the Book of the Law of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people could understand what was being read.”
(Nehemiah 8:8)

V) …WE _CELEBRATE_ IT

“Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.”
(Nehemiah 8:12)

VI) …WE _DIG DEEPER_ INTO IT

“…the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the scribe to give attention to the words of the Law.”
(Nehemiah 8:13)

As our lives intersect with God’s Word…it always produces ONE response: WORSHIP*.

“Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, ‘Amen! Amen!’ Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.”
(Nehemiah 8:6, see also chapter 9)

Letting God’s Word Transform YOU:

For the _“Geriatric Believer”_ – _IMMERSE YOURSELF_ in the Word of God!

“Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
(Acts 17:11)

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom…”
(Colossians 3:16)

For the _“Baby Believer”_ – _CRAVE_ the Word of God!

“Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”
(I Peter 2:2-3)

For the _“Not-Yet Believer”_ – _ACCEPT_ the Word of God!

“…when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.”
(I Thessalonians 2:13)