First Timothy 3:4-5 has this to say about leaders: “He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him with proper respect, (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)” Read 1 Samuel 2:12-17, 22-25 and 1Timothy 3.

Eli was a successful priest and judge in Israel, yet he failed to discipline his own sons. As a result, they grew increasingly rebellious and contemptuous concerning the things of God. Eli’s failure in this area led not only to a loss of credibility, but ultimately to his own downfall.

Given impossible situations that may even appear to be God ordained, every leader faces the temptation to give up. Effective leaders find power in persistence and faith. Read 1 Samuel 1:1-28.

Hannah, mother of Samuel, is not on a lot of “top ten” leaders lists but given the definition that a leader is “a person with influence,” Hannah certainly qualifies as a leader. At a time in history when infertility earned women scorn and ridicule, Hannah was unable to become pregnant. Even though her husband continued to demonstrate his love and support, his other wife, who had been blessed with children, mocked and belittled Hannah, never letting her forget she was a failure.

Kindness and compassion are looked at by some in society as signs of weakness in a leader. Truly effective leaders can hardly function without them. Read Ruth 2:4-17.

Boaz was a wealthy, influential landowner and farmer from Bethlehem. He was a respected leader in his community. Did you notice that the first words out of his mouth when Boaz came out to check on the progress of the harvesters were “The Lord be with you”? He gave a blessing to his workers and they enthusiastically called back “The Lord bless you.” From their response they knew something about this man, his relationship with God and how he treated people.

One of my mom’s 10,000 sayings was “you can give without loving, but you can’t love without giving.” Leaders who fail to display generosity should ask themselves if they really love the people they lead. Read Ruth 2:8-4:10.

Boaz was a leader that modeled generosity. He owned a large field and employed reapers to gather his harvest. According to Jewish law, when the harvesters had finished, the less fortunate were allowed to “glean” in the field, taking whatever the harvesters had left behind. Ruth was one of the “gleaners” in Boaz’s field.

The actions of effective godly leaders demonstrate their basic understanding that faithfulness precedes fruitfulness, character precedes conduct and responsibilities precede results. Read Ruth 1-4.

The book of Ruth reminds leaders that God honors the qualities of loyalty, commitment and integrity. Ruth remained committed to doing the right thing, and God surprised her by meeting her every need and more. The book of Ruth illustrates that when leaders focus on doing what is right, God will bless the fruit of their labor. The book of Ruth is testimony to the fact that leaders need to put “being” before “doing.”