Evaluation of A Leader: Ruth's Leadership always starts with a person. Even though Ruth was a Moabite, considered to be the lowest and most broken, she was an excellent leader found in the Historical books of the Bible. She is a leader because there are many applications for leaders today that can be taken from the book of Ruth, she contributed to the advancement of God's kingdom, and she possesses many strengths an effective leader should have. Ruth is an excellent leader because there are many applications for leaders today that can be taken from the book of Ruth. The most extensive application that can be useful for leaders today is to remember that Gender and race do not define who a person is as a leader. Ruth was a woman and a Moabite; she was considered to be the lowest of the lows. In the book of Judges, women were treated with zero respect; they were disrespected, sexually abused, and even killed (Judges 19-21). Ruth did not let her race and gender stop her from being a leader; just like today, people in the church should not let gender and race get in the way of deciding who a pastor or leader should be in their church. Another application for leaders today is to do what is right, not just what looks good. Ruth demonstrated this because when her husband died, the logical action for Ruth to take was to go home and get remarried. Instead, Ruth knew the right thing to do was to stay with her mother in Law Naomi. She had a conviction, she knew what she had to do, and she did it. Sometimes the right choice requires sacrifice. Even when Naomi distanced herself from God and was full of sadness, Ruth was also there, never leaving her side ( Tyson 122). Leaders today should not worry about outward appearances but remind themselves of the calling God has placed and the standards that God is calling us to. To love God, others, and then self (Mark 12:30-31). Ruth also teaches to be true in following our heart, as this will increase our influence on others. Boaz could have looked at Ruth as a foreigner, he could have looked at her as a broken and dirty widowed woman. Instead, Boaz looked at Ruth and admired her because she had integrity and stayed with her mother-in-law. In leadership, there is, a lot of influence, and when a leader has a good influence on the people they lead, it becomes easier for them to lead. The last application for leaders that can be found in Ruth, is to remember to be humble and keep working even when God blesses you. Even though Boaz noticed Ruth, she still would work hard every day (Ruth 2:10). As a leader, when there are blessings and promotions remember to remain humble. God can give, and God can take away; as leaders, we need to remember to lead not for our glory but to give Glory to God. Ruth also teaches us to trust God in everything. Even though both Naomi and Ruth were in low circumstances they still hoped to God, and they were never miserable in any situation where God placed them (Lawson 3). This is important...
