Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

II Timothy 2:15, ESV

If you have ever cut logs or split much firewood, then you know one of the most important things you can do is to keep the blade of your saw or axe sharp. This goes against the grain of those who want to get to the work as quickly as possible, because sharpening the blade takes time. But as any experienced woodman knows, the sharper the blade, the quicker the cutting, so the time you invest by taking time out to sharpen the saw at the beginning will be more than rewarded in the end, as the work will go much faster. And though the one who gets right to the cutting will certainly appear to be accomplishing vastly more than the one who starts off by sharpening his saw, in the end it will be the one with a sharp blade who will cut more wood and feel less exhausted after the work is completed.

Abraham Lincoln, a pretty smart fellow, put it this way: "Give me six hours to cut down a tree, and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe".

This idea of sharpening the saw is Stephen Covey's final secret revealed in his book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People". After interviewing numerous people who were highly successful in their fields, he noted that these were the people who were the most likely to keep on improving themselves through continuing education and regular study. Those who are most successful in life are typically those who never quit learning, so they never quit growing. And a person who continues to grow who has already achieved great things in life will always be a force to be reckoned with.

There is no area in life in which this is truer (or more important) than in our service to God. God knew how important it would be for His people, and especially His leaders, to be reading His word on a regular basis so that they would not forget His commandments. In fact, God had Moses give this instruction to Israel's future kings several hundred years before the first king was ever crowned:

When he take the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests who are the Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life..." Deuteronomy 17:18-19, NIV (1978).

God, who knows everything, realized in advance just how important it would be for his leaders to know and understand His law. So, he instructed for them to write a copy of that law and then read it all the days of their lives. Did you know that our first record of daily Bible readers were kings? Perhaps this will give us the incentive we need to continue our reading of God's holy Word on a daily basis. God knew this vital habit several thousand years before successful men of our era were even born. If we want to maintain our positions of great success, we are going to have to sharpen the saw. For success and high achievement are not something we accomplish and then somehow just magically maintain. Effectiveness for God will require that we sharpen the saw daily by reading His Word and then applying its principles to our own lives. 

Abraham Lincoln discovered this truth as a young man. While researching the habits of highly effective people, Stephen Covey learned that these successful people will continue their education through diligent study. God knew this truth before the world was even created. The question is, do we see its importance now? Those wishing to be highly effective in any area of life, and particularly in the most important area - our service to God, will readily see the absolute need of sharpening the saw.