As we have discussed, we tend to think of righteousness in terms of morality, which is of course the most basic part of it. However, in the teachings of Scripture, a huge part of the teachings on righteousness are about management—being a good steward of what we have been entrusted with. Righteousness is also caring enough for the things we have been entrusted with to manage them right. This is so important that in the Parable of the Talents, the Lord taught that we would either hear "Well done, good and faithful servant" (see Matthew 25:21 NIV)...

We are in the time when those who are faithful will become more faithful and be trusted with even more authority. It is also the time when the faithless will become more faithless. Both the good seed sown into the world and the tares will come to maturity. Because of this, it will become more and more clear which are tares and which are the good seed, as the Lord prophesied in Matthew 13:37-43. Here He explained to His disciples the meaning of the parable about the enemy of the farmer who came and sowed tares in his wheat...

If we are going to be the best stewards that we can be to the Lord, another principle that we need to understand is the importance of our training, and how He trains us to be able to handle more authority and resources. Our training is the investment that God is making in us, and we want Him to get the maximum return for this investment. Remarkably, He lets us determine what kind of return He will get from us by our faith and obedience.

One of the most important parts of our training is described by the...

In Luke 16:11, Jesus explains a basic principle that should motivate us to study good financial management: "If therefore you have not been faithful in the use of unrighteous mammon, who will entrust the true riches to you?" We have also considered how important He made this in the Parable of the Talents, when He called those who managed what they were entrusted with well "Good and faithful servants" (see Matthew 25:21 NIV), and the one who did not manage what he was entrusted with well, "You wicked, lazy slave" (see Matthew 25:26)....

As we have discussed, a talent was a measure of the currency of the time, and this parable specifically addresses how we handle the money we are entrusted with, which is a primary test of our character and spiritual wisdom. However, it is about more than money, rather all of the resources we have been entrusted with, including the spiritual and natural gifts. If we are going to be good, effective managers, we must begin with prioritizing our lives so that most of our time and effort is devoted to the things that are the most important. Let's look...