Take Care of Yourself

I used to get irritated when my Uncle Bob told me, “Take care of yourself, Jimmy,” whenever he said goodbye. As a new Christian, I had embraced the deny-yourself message Jesus taught in Luke 9:23, and I couldn’t seem to square that with my uncle’s encouragement to take care of myself.

Although I knew my uncle was well-meaning, I concluded that he was simply uninformed about what the Bible teaches.

However, as the years went by, I discovered that Uncle Bob did indeed have a point – and one that I’ve tended to overlook. Many Scripture verses do in fact instruct us to take care of ourselves and guard our spiritual, emotional, and physical reserves (for example Acts 20:28 and 1 Timothy 4:14-16).

Failure to heed this important admonition can result in a variety of negative consequences, from spiritual shipwreck (1 Timothy 1:18-20), to premature aging or even death.

But by far the most common result of not taking care of ourselves is this sad condition King Solomon described: “If the ax is dull and its edge unsharpened, more strength is needed” (Ecclesiastes 10:10 NIV). Put simply, if we’ve neglected our spiritual life and allowed our blade to become dull, it’s hard work to cut down a tree.

My friend, never forget that you are God’s holy temple, the dwelling place of His Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). As instructed by my Uncle Bob – and the Scriptures – make sure that you’re taking care of your spiritual, mental, and physical edge. Believe me, things go better when your blade is sharp!