It’s this point that Paul was trying to make when he told the leaders at Ephesus, “Guard yourselves, and God’s people.” You guard yourself first because who will feed and shepherd the flock if you get knocked out of the game (Acts 20:28)? If the church is the hope of the world and its future is in the hands of its leaders, this only makes sense.
Moses, Jesus, Paul, and James all exhort us to love our neighbors as ourselves (Lev. 19:18, Mark 12:31, Rom. 13:9, James 2:8). In Ephesians we read husbands are to love their wives like their own bodies. Both of these commands presuppose that you are taking good care of yourself, just as Christ cares for his body (Eph. 5:28-30).
Schemes of the Enemy
Paul and Peter exhort us to be mindful of the schemes of the enemy so that we can stand firm and continue in the good works that God has prepared in advance for us (1 Peter 5:8, Eph. 6:11, 2 Cor. 2:11). If we neglect taking care of ourselves, it leaves us weak and vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy.
Yet we are so prone to this neglect. In fact, we are so inclined to neglect things like rest that God commanded it! Paul has to urge Timothy to make sure he takes care of himself (1 Tim. 5:23). Moses’ father-in-law has to confront him to say, “You have to stop this insanity! You’re going to burn yourself out, and then where are the people going to be?” (rough translation of Ex. 18:17-23).
The enemy even uses our passion for God and our role in his kingdom against us:
“If you really trusted God you wouldn’t be struggling with this.”
“You wouldn’t be feeling this way if you really loved Jesus.”
“If people knew about your struggle, why would they want to follow Christ?”
“If anyone finds out, your ministry will be ruined.”
“You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you; therefore you don’t need rest, food, water, or anything or anyone.”
Just like with Jesus during the temptation, Satan twists the Scriptures to try to trip us up and keep us trapped in a weak, vulnerable, and ineffective place.
Pride Is the Enemy
Pride is the enemy; humility is the answer. We have to humbly accept the frailty of our humanity: our dependence on God, his body, and the means by which he has provided for the care of our bodies.
We have to be willing to allow others to share our burdens with us, confess our struggles, and reach out for help so that we can be healed.
Self-care isn’t selfish or self-indulgent; it’s good stewardship of the resource of our body that enables us to make the best use of it and the time God has given us. It’s a spiritual discipline that acknowledges the realities of our finite bodies and worships God through taking care of the gift he has given us so we can accomplish the good works he’s prepared in advance for us.
REFERENCES
This article originally appeared here.
