Today I’m continuing my series on loving God. My last post was about loving God with a single heart. Now I’ll move forward with that thought.
As you probably know, there are those who only serve God for what they can get. They think that godliness is a means to financial gain. James has something to say about that.
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
James 4:3 NIV
In our seeking of God, it all comes down to motives. Isn’t motives simply another way of describing what direction our heart is pointing to? We could be praying to God well enough, but our heart is moving toward pleasure. We need to cleanse our heart of the love of pleasure.
Let’s go back to the verse I looked at in the last post.
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…
2 Timothy 3:2-4 NIV
One of the earmarks of the last days is the love of money. These people want money itself – not what money can buy. You have money, want more, and you won’t part with what you have. For an uncluttered relationship with the Lord, I must love God more than money.
Money is a strange thing. It’s amazing what people will do for money. Things like live on a desert island or make a fool of yourself on TV.
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
Hebrews 13:5 NIV
You can take this verse in a couple of ways. You might look it as saying don’t leave God to pursue money.
There are believers who say, “When I feel comfortable with my portfolio, I’ll have the time to serve God in a big way.” Unfortunately, if you love money, you’ll never feel comfortable.
Another way to look at it is that if you love money, it will leave you. In today’s world, that’s always a possibility. On the other hand, God will never leave you or forsake you.
The word used for leave, means to get up and go. The Greek word, forsake, in this verse, literally means to take you somewhere and leave you there. Isn’t that a great description of what happens when you pursue wealth?
We need to cleanse our heart of the love of money. Remember, money itself isn’t a bad thing. We need it to survive in this generation. But the love of money in place of the Lord can lead you to a ruined life.
When we talk about loving God with a single heart, we have to bring up the subject of money. There are many who place the accumulation of money over their pursuit of God. Then, they wonder why their relationships with their family and friends is suffering.
Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.
1 Timothy 6:9 NIV
Don’t fall into this trap. Never let the desire for wealth overcome your love and devotion to the Lord. Come to Him with a single heart.
Question: What part does money play in your daily pursuits?
© 2026 Nick Zaccardi
The Spirit and the Word 