“Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.” (1 Timothy 4:16)
Apart from God, we are incapable of caring for ourselves as we should. We either run ourselves into the ground, or pamper ourselves to death. Sheep without a shepherd don’t do too well.
When God tells us to “take care,” His first area of concern is our spirit. Bodily exercise profits little. Meditative techniques are a poor substitute for the rest of soul Christ would give us. All the sleep in the world will not profit us if we continue to be “careful and troubled about many things.”
Yes, we can burn ourselves out when we are always caught up in taking care of others while neglecting to care for ourselves. Being “addicted to the ministry” has both an up and down side. In giving to others we often find ourselves replenished. But God wants us to know that we will never be able to minister to others unless we are first letting Him minister to us.
No, we are not being selfish when we heed His call to self-care. We need ministering to. We need God’s counsel, comfort, and correction. We need to sit at His feet and learn of Him. Only after we have placed ourselves in this posture will we be in any position to properly care for others.