Is self-care biblical? As a believer, this question might stir up a lot of curiosity in you, seeing that the Bible does not vividly speak on this topic. However, we should know that it takes deeper Bible studies to understand certain topics in the Bible.
But when you look at the world today, the curiosity about self-care has really increased, and as a matter of fact, it is one of the trending topics online lately, which according to Google trends, since 2018, the search for self-care has quadrupled.
So as a believer, if you are asked the question, is self-care biblical, what do you say? Self-care is Biblical, and there are several passages of scriptures that connote instructions, commanding us to be mindful of what we do and to have sound physical and mental well-being.
In Matthew 24: 4 (NIV), Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you, and Proverbs 4: 23 (NIV) says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
This means God wants us to guard ourselves and be intentional about what we allow to come into our thoughts because when a thought comes in, and we dwell on it, it springs out and becomes how we live our lives.
Hence it clearly shows how deeply the Bible talks about self-care and how God expects us to be mindful of our mental well-being because it controls every other area of our lives.
As a matter of fact, even in the 10 commandments, God instructed that we take a day and rest (Sabbath), which is like a weekly mode of recharging, and that is self-care in itself.
Therefore, we can say that self-care is indeed Biblical, and to give it a better explanation, let us briefly look into what is self-care.
What Is Self-Care?
If you want to know what is self-care, then read this. Self-care can be defined as one’s ability to be mindful of his own boundaries so that you can safeguard your physical, emotional, and mental well-being.
It is about you looking after yourself, doing everything within your reach to have, maintain, and advance a sound personal well-being.
You become an active agent in managing your personal well-being by making a decision to empower yourself with the knowledge that is needed to take care of yourself.
For the record, we should note that self-care is not the same as self-indulgence. It does not mean to be selfish. Rather self-care is all about you being responsible for your personal well-being so that you can take care of others who are in need.
Is Self-Care Biblical? Everything You Must Know
1. Jesus Showed Us How To Serve God And Still Take Care Of Ourselves
Although the life and teachings of Christ were more focused on showing us how to serve God, He also cared about our physical and mental well-being. He showed us some examples of self-care by taking care of us.
For instance, there was a time in Jesus’ ministry, which after teaching the people for a long while. He observed that they were hungry in the middle of nowhere. Moreover, it was already late for them to go into the village to look for what to eat.
Jesus had to perform the miracle of multiplying five loaves of bread and two fishes to feed 5000 men (Matthew 14: 15 – 21) instead of letting them go into the nearby village to congest the town when looking for what to eat.
This connotes self-care because he cared about their physical well-being, which is why he did not allow them to go into the villages, to cause congestion, which can be mentally and physically stressful.
2. God Commanded Us To Rest (Sabbath)
Sabbath means to rest, that is, to cease working. This is one of the 10 commandments given to Moses (Exodus 20).
Beyond it being a sacred day set out for God, it also points to the fact that God wants us to cease working and pay attention to ourselves so that we will regain the strength to carry on.
This command God gave to the Jews to rest on the Sabbath connotes the idea of self-care, and gives an answer to the question, is self-care biblical?
3. Christians Pay Attention To Their Physical Needs
One of the manifestations of the fruit in Galatians 5: 22 – 23 is self-control. Self-control is the ability to regulate how to respond to issues that come your way so that you can maintain sound mental and physical well-being.
On this basis, we can now say that anyone who is disciplined spiritually will also pay attention to their physical needs; this also gives an answer to the question, is self-care biblical?
4. The Bible Teaches Us To Take Care Of Our Body
When the Bible talks of fornication as sinning against the body (1 Corinthians 3: 18), it is pointing to self-care.
1 Corinthians 3: 16 – 17 (NIV) Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple.
This means we should not just avoid fornication for the spiritual purpose but also for the physical purpose of taking care of ourselves.
5. The Bible Teaches Us To Spend Time Alone
If we look at the life of Christ, the Bible recorded how he secluded Himself to be alone and commune with His Father (Matthew 26: 36 – 56).
In part of His teachings on the Sermon on the Mount, when he was teaching about prayers, Christ instructs us to go inside and shut our doors and spend time alone when we want to pray to God (Matthew 6: 6).
Spending time alone helps you to have deep thoughts about your life and helps you to know where to draw the lines in some areas of your life.
If the Bible teaches us to practice spending time alone in prayers, it also points at the idea of self-care; hence it gives an answer to the question, is self-care biblical?
6. The Bible Teaches Us To Rest In God’s Sovereign Love
Resting on God’s sovereign love is obeying the call of Christ in Matthew 11: 28 – 29, and gives answers to the question, is self-care biblical?
He said all those who are weary should come unto Him and find rest. Christ is teaching us to acknowledge our limits, our inability to please God on our own, and come to him and find rest.
We should rest on His sovereign love, and then God will endow us with the Holy Spirit that will enable us to please Him.
7. The Bible Teaches Us To Love Ourselves
The Bible teaches us to love ourselves (Matthew 22: 37 – 39), but this does not portray the idea of being prideful and arrogant, thinking of yourself as better than others.
Rather it is a self-love that flows from the place of showing gratitude to God for how He created you. This means we love ourselves because God loves and values us (Matthew 10: 31).
Therefore you should be grateful that your sins have been forgiven and value and care for your body as God’s temple (1 Corinthians 3: 16 – 18).
8. We Are Instructed In The Bible To Guard Our Hearts
One of the ways the Bible teaches us about self-care is by instructing us to guard our hearts. This clearly points at self-care and is also a response to the question, is self-care biblical?
Proverbs 4: 23 (NIV) Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. The idea of guarding in this text is about a watchman at the top of a watch tower that looks out for any threat and raises alarm.
In this text, the Bible is telling us to make it our duty to guard our hearts. That is, we should be the watchman over our hearts. Because whatever goes into our hearts is what plays out in our daily lifestyle.
9. We Are To Build Ourselves In The Holiest Faith
One of the teachings of the Bible that points at self-care and gives answers to the question is self-care biblical, which is the instruction to building ourselves in the holiest faith. Jude 20 (NIV) But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.
Building ourselves up in the holiest faith means being in a close relationship with God through deep meditation on God’s word and prayer. When we do this, we become sound spiritually, mentally, and physically. The whole of our well-being will be sound.
What Does The Bible Say About Self-love And Self-Care?
If you are wondering and asking what the Bible say about self-love and self-care, and you want to know.
When it comes to self-love and self-care, the Bible instructs us to see and value ourselves the way God sees and values us (Matthew 10: 31); therefore, we are to love ourselves because God loves us.
This means we are to practice self-love from the place of worship. It should come from the place of us acknowledging what God acknowledges by valuing ourselves and dedicating our life to live for God.
Knowing you are valuable to God, you ought to love and take care of yourself by living a life that is solely dedicated to God.
The Difference Between Worldly Self-Care And Biblical Self-care
As believers in Christ, we should be careful not to follow worldly standards in any subject matter so that we will not drift away.
Rather we should search the Bible about a subject matter and stick to it. On this basis, let us look into the difference between worldly self-care and Biblical self-care.
Biblical self-care is focused on God, being a steward of Christ, taking care of your body as God’s temple, aligning to God’s will and finding rest in Christ. Hence, its sole purpose is focused on worshipping and submitting to God.
On the other hand, worldly self-care is focused on self-indulgence, vanity, and pleasure, and the sole purpose is to please yourself and to find comfort away from Christ..
How To Biblically Develop/ Practice Christian Self-care
If you want to know how to Biblically develop/ practice self-care, here is a way to go about it.
Go through scriptures, look out for scriptures like Matthew 11: 28 – 30; Psalm4:8; 127: 2; Philippian 4: 6 – 7, 1Corinthians 6: 19 – 20, 3John 3: 2 – 5, 1Timothy 4: 8 and many others that talk about finding rest in God and taking care of our body as God’s temple and applying it to your life.
The phrase self-care is not directly stated in the scriptures, but the Bible is very detailed, and it addresses every issue in our lives, including our spiritual and physical (3 John 3: 2 – 5, 1Timothy 4: 8) and mental (Proverbs 4: 23)
wellbeing. Therefore, a careful Bible study will help us to pay close attention to these things and apply it to our daily lives.
Does God Want Me To Take Care Of Myself?
If you are wrestling with the idea of self-care, and you keep asking yourself does God want me to take care of myself?
Yes, God wants you to take care of yourself; he loves and values you and has invested Himself in the person of Jesus Christ in you. Sanctified your body and made it His Holy Temple.
So you are to take care of yourself physically, emotionally, mentally, and most of all, spiritually. Jesus said take heed that no man deceives you (Matthew 24: 4).
Examples Of Self-care In The Bible
Though self-care is not explicitly stated in the Bible, there are several Biblical examples that point to God and self-care. A few examples of self-care in the Bible are listed here.
1. When Timothy had issues with his stomach, he was instructed by Paul to take a little wine for the stomach’s sake (1 Timothy 5: 23).
2. Jesus says whenever we want to embark on fasting and prayer, we should wash and rub oil on our faces (Matthew 6: 16 – 18). This is Christ showing us to take care of our physical looks.
3. The Jews have a custom that you must wash your hands and feet before you eat (Mark 7: 1 – 8). Though they do it as a religious rite, this is hygienic and also an example of self-care.
4. Paul also addressed Timothy to exercise his body because it has some physical benefits (1 Timothy 4: 8).
5. God told Moses to tell the children of Israel to wash their clothes and prepare themselves because He would be coming to see them (Exodus 19: 10 – 11).
Self-Care Bible Study
Self-care Bible study is one aspect that is barely taught today in the Christian doctrine. Personally, I have only seen a few pieces of Christian literature on this subject, and I’ve not seen any major books on it.
However, there is a need to have a Bible study on self-care so that Christians will be properly taught to understand what the Bible teaches about self-care.
Many believers might be struggling in this area but might see no need to start doing it because it is not directly addressed in the scriptures.
However, if pastors prepare Bible study teaching on self-care, their members will be well informed about it and will properly practice it in the Biblical manner without drifting away.
Self-Care Bible Verses
1. Matthew 24: 4 (NIV)- Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you…
2. Proverbs 4: 23 (NIV)- says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”
3. 3 John 1: 2 (NIV)- Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.
4. 1 Timothy 5: 23 (NIV)- Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.
5. Matthew 6: 17 (NIV)- But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face.
6. 1 Timothy 4: 8 (NIV)- For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
7. Exodus 19: 10 – 11 (NIV)- And the LORD said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow.
Have them wash their clothes and be ready by the third day because, on that day, the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.
8. Luke 5: 16 (NIV)- But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
9. Mark 6: 31 (NIV)- Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.”
10. Matt 11: 28 – 30- “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
11. Philippians 4: 4 – 8 (NIV)- Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.
Conclusion
When reading the Bible, much emphasis is laid on being selfless and caring for others rather than caring for yourself.
And most Bible teachers and preachers today are more focused on these aspects as well, and we have few or practically no sermons on self-care.
But the Bible did not condemn the idea of self-care. The Bible didn’t directly address self-care, neither did it condemn it. Rather it instructed us to care for our physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, as well as care for others too.
Save this for later!
