On Instagram, the hashtag “loveyourself” has been used around 42 million times. In modern culture, however, this idea is usually attached to a ‘me’ mentality. But is there such a thing as biblical self-love? Can Christians unselfishly practice self-care? Yes! Learning to love ourselves in a biblical, God-centered way is the best thing we can do for our relationships. Once we care for ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually, then we are better able to love others in a godly way.
On Instagram, the hashtag “loveyourself” has been used around 42 million times. In modern culture, however, this idea is usually attached to a ‘me’ mentality. But is there such a thing as biblical self-love? Can Christians unselfishly practice self-care? Yes! Learning to love ourselves in a biblical, God-centered way is the best thing we can do for our relationships. Once we care for ourselves physically, emotionally and spiritually, then we are better able to love others in a godly way.
Key Questions from the Podcast
- Why do my mistakes lead to thoughts of self-criticism and judgment?
- How do I care for myself without being selfish?
- Should regular self-care be a priority in my life?
- How does my opinion of myself affect my relationships?
Notable Quotes from the Podcast
Mindfulness in the context of the mind of Christ can take you into truly knowing what needs to be jettison from yourself: behaviors, sinful patterns, and even internal voices of self-criticism. All of that's flesh, not just the bad things you do, but the bad things we believe about ourselves too. All of that doesn't belong in us. We jettison all that through repentance, through faith, through confession. – Gary Wilkerson
As Jesus said, we should remember the poor. When I think about a world that is dying, my caring for myself, my soul care that the Bible requires and calls me and blesses me to be able to do, does not diminish me from the ability to be a servant, to love, to give, to be generous. It actually fuels me. It's not selfish. It's actually more generous because now I have something to give. – Gary Wilkerson
Jesus said you clean the inside of the cup then the outside begins to take care of itself. So inside I have to be healed and healthy, and I need soul care to get me in that place. – Gary Wilkerson
We start off in self-loathing, then try to earn our way into the good graces of other people and we're not ourselves. Every moment of the day there are still battles and there are still outward circumstances that try to draw us back into self-loathing and self-hatred. Once that battle has, to a large degree, been won, then there's that freedom that springs up to be yourself in an authentic way. People appreciate authenticity. – Gary Wilkerson
A good tree bears good fruit. Being healed inside bears healthy results of healthy fruit, healthy relationships, healthy impact. – Gary Wilkerson
The greatest impact I've ever had in my life has not been preaching to tens of thousands of people, traveling the world, or writing books. The greatest impact that I've had is a small group of people that I've been able to be myself and be alive and be healed, and then bring healing to them. – Gary Wilkerson
Bible Verses Referenced in the Podcast
for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. – 2 Timothy 1:7
The spiritual person judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has understood the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. – 1 Corinthians 2:15-16
Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! – 2 Corinthians 13:5
You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside also may be clean. – Matthew 23:26
So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. – Matthew 7:17-18
About Gary Wilkerson
Gary Wilkerson is the President of World Challenge, an international mission organization that was founded by his father, David Wilkerson. He is also the Founding Pastor of The Springs Church, which he launched in 2009 with a handful of people. He has traveled nationally and internationally at conferences and conducted mission ventures such as church planting, starting orphanages, clinics, feeding programs among the poorest of the poor and the most unreached people of the earth. Gary and his wife Kelly have four children and live in Colorado Springs, CO.