Would it not be such a blessing if all our leaders were full of virtue? But what is virtue? Virtue is the quality of doing what is good and right and avoiding wrong. Virtue, in effect, is goodness. There are seven known cardinal virtues. Four of them are natural virtues and three of them are theological virtues.

The four natural virtues are justice, prudence, temperance and fortitude. The three spiritual virtues are faith, hope and love. To live a life of doing what is right and avoiding what is wrong, you need to deploy justice, prudence, temperance, fortitude, faith, hope and love.

Four Things a Leader Must Know About Virtue (goodness)

1. Virtue is a personal positive trait that makes a leader abhor evil. A virtuous person is full of goodness, righteousness and has strong morals. '…Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is GOOD.' (Romans 12:9)

2. Virtue (goodness) is the personal trait that prevents a person from randomly following after the opposite sex. Ruth was a virtuous woman. She refused to follow after young men, whether poor or rich. She was concerned about doing what is right. Many leaders do not do well because they follow after the opposite sex and are destroyed by many enchantments, pleasures and deceptions.

'And he said, blessed be thou of the Lord, my daughter: for thou hast shewed more kindness in the latter end than at the beginning, inasmuch as THOU FOLLOWEDST NOT YOUNG MEN, whether poor or rich. And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou requirest: for all the city of my people doth know that THOU ART A VIRTUOUS WOMAN.' (Ruth 3:10-11)

3. Virtue (goodness) is the personal trait that makes a person genuinely helpful. Virtue (goodness) is the personal trait that makes you do good to people and not evil. A virtuous woman does good to her husband and not evil. Without virtue a beautiful woman is a useless object moving around. The Bible says beauty is vain. It is only when virtue comes into a female that she does good to a man. Many women do evil to their men because they lack virtue.

Virtue is very different from beauty. Beauty is useless but virtue is valuable. When a person does good to another, he will be rewarded. Rewards for doing good and not evil to the other person are what make a leader become an outstanding one. Are you a leader? Are you genuinely helpful? Are you doing good to those you lead?

'Who can find a VIRTUOUS WOMAN? For her price is far above rubies… SHE WILL DO HIM GOOD and not evil all the days of her life.' (Proverbs 31:10)

4. Virtue (goodness) is the personal trait that makes a leader hardworking, energetic and enterprising. The only person described as virtuous in the Bible is the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31. Her main characteristics were hard work and lots of industrious activities. She would rise up early, she would gird up her loins and she would make things happen for the whole household.

This cannot be said of many beautiful women whose principal achievement is to dress up and make themselves look more and more artificial. Their beauty is a façade for their emptiness. Their enhanced appearance is a sign of the level of deception you must expect from such non-virtuous characters. You will have the greatest shocks when you are married to someone who has no virtue. You will be met by laziness, inaction and inactivity. You will also be met by poor provision of food, sex and anything that doesn't happen in the public eye.

You will notice how the virtuous woman of Proverbs 31 goes around working hard and making everyone in her household have what they need. She is more concerned about meeting the needs of her household than impressing outsiders. A virtuous woman is full of truth, reality and genuineness. A leader who has this trait will be hardworking, energetic and enterprising.

He will rise early and make things happen for his followers. He will work hard and make sure that his followers have what they need. He will do them good all the days of his life and serve his followers in truth. May you be such a leader! Doing what is good and right will always lead to abundance. Virtue is a positive trait that will turn a leader into a good, into an exemplary one. May we continue to pray that virtue be characteristic of every leader.

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