Scripturally Scrutinizing the Concept of Self-care Part 2

Scripturally Scrutinizing the Concept of Self-care Part 2

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
 1 Corinthians 3:16

In our last time together, I shared that, biblically speaking, self-care can be set in Scripture, albeit the term itself doesn’t surface in Scripture, but the principles behind it are profoundly rooted in biblical instruction. For instance:

Our Father God has ordained and called us to prioritize rest or giving the mind and body a break. The prioritization of personal rest was displayed by our Father God in Genesis 2:1-3.

In the New Testament of the Holy Scriptures, our Master and Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, was the perfect example for setting time to replenish and park and prioritize prayer. When you purposely peer into Scripture, you will discover that our Lord Jesus would frequently remove Himself from crowds to rest and pray.

Mark 6:31-32 – And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.

Luke 5:15-16 – But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities. And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.

I submit to you that our Savior took the command of a resting Sabbath seriously, so He did not see it as a suggestion. For our Lord, it was about renewal and trust in God.

But what happens when self-care becomes averse to our Adonai’s (God’s) call and application of self-care situated in Scripture? Let’s consider the following contradictions of self-care that are inconsistent with Christ our Lord’s call and standard concerning self-care.

• Being occupied with overt self-indulgence and calling it stewardship:
 If self-care morphs into man-centered, disproportionate desires and indulgence such as endless extravagance, escapism, or ignoring responsibilities, it denies the directives of Scripture’s call to stewardship and discipline. Remember, Romans 6:23 emphatically echoes the eternal truth that we don’t “deserve” individualized desires and indulgence; however, we need God’s grace.

Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

• Ignoring investing in others:
 The Word of God (Scriptures) calls us to love others as ourselves (Mark 12:31). If self-care becomes an excuse to discount the needs of others or sidestep service, it’s lost its way and misses the mark in a major way!

Mark 12:31 – And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

Galatians 5:13 – For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

When self-care suspends the superiority of the Savior, it serves only yourself and subjects your soul to the solitary dungeon of discontentment.

We will propose to process this topic again next week.

Not a sermon, just some thoughts.
 FtGG