The average, lifelong church member has been "incentive-d" to death. He's watched countless attendance thermometers rise to the top as he invited friends to Sunday school rallies. Pins, Bibles, trips, titles, and strokes have been dangled before him, and he has pulled the sled like the lead husky. But if the pressure is released or the campaign is less slick, will the performance continue?

The Right Rewards

A creative environment where guilt-free, confident Christians pursue a few activities wholeheartedly is the ideal. The way to create this enriching environment is not a mystery. It requires applying genuine biblical motivation.

In Genesis, people were created with something to do. From the beginning, we were given the capacity to "rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air," to subdue the earth and fill it, and to work the garden. The imago Dei is expressed in dominion and work.

This affects our view of motivation and reward. Work really matters! Our strivings do not have to ...