Wise leaders use rewards as a natural part of positive reinforcement for accomplishments and they also have a system that applies appropriate consequences for failure. Read Lamentations 4:6-8.

Over the years God had blessed the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. Under David and Solomon’s rule no other nation knew such business or military success. God had blessed the nation with abundance through their agricultural system and had established such a military power under David’s leadership that Solomon knew almost 40 years of peace. Even during these most prosperous days God detailed a consequence should the kings, priests and people of the nation fail to keep their covenant.

Wise leaders do not try to buy loyalty but rather help their team find purpose and meaning in their work. Read Ecclesiastes 5:10-20.

God created people to be motivated by rewards. The Bible is full of God’s promises concerning specific rewards to individuals or entire people groups who follow Him. But, according to Ecclesiastes 5:10-17, even though it is true that people are motivated by rewards, paying large sums of money to try to buy loyalty or ensure satisfaction is a dead-end tactic.

Effective leaders use rewards to bolster motivation and performance. Read Nehemiah 3:1-32.

Rebuilding the walls around the city of Jerusalem was a daunting task. There was over a mile of wall to be built and some of the foundation stones were very large. The Babylonian army had torn down the walls creating tangled and twisted piles of rubble that needed to be unraveled before those stones could be re-used in the wall. There were steep hills on the eastern side of Jerusalem and many of the stones had tumbled into valleys making retrieving the stones for the wall difficult. The people had little or no specialized equipment to lift the stones and the people living in the city were not expert in construction.

One lesson that Christian leaders seem to learn and forget, learn and forget is that God’s rewards are based on faithfulness to Him rather than abilities or achievements. Read 2 Chronicles 7:11-22.

The Bible indicates God established and endorses the principle of giving rewards for good work unless it replaces God as our passion for life. In today’s Scripture God promises rewards to the nation for obedience but punishment for disobedience. The Lord stresses that His commitment is not to the newly-built temple, but to His people and their relationship to Him.

A leader’s vision unites their team. Read 2 Samuel 5:1-12.

The nation of Israel was energized under David’s leadership. All twelve tribes were united under one leader. They found a national identity: “We are your own flesh and blood” (v. 1). The people knew that God had anointed David and by uniting under David’s leadership they were actually uniting as God’s people.