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. Read more »

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. Read more »

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. Read more »