Take Heed to Yourself and to the Teaching
Take Heed to Yourself and to the Teaching
“Take heed to yourself and to the teaching” (1 Timothy 4:16).
Who said it, and to whom?
It was said by Saint Paul the great apostle, who experienced ministry in its depths and lived the spiritual life in its fullness. He labored in service more than all the apostles (1 Corinthians 15:10), and in spiritual life he was caught up to the third heaven, to Paradise (2 Corinthians 12:2, 4).
This Paul writes to his disciple Timothy, the bishop of Ephesus—Timothy in whom dwelt sincere faith, first in his grandmother and his mother, and who from childhood knew the Holy Scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15). Paul writes to him saying: “Take heed to yourself and to the teaching. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you” (1 Timothy 4:16).
Although Timothy, as a bishop, was surrounded by enormous burdens and responsibilities—especially in a city like Ephesus, where ministry was not easy (for Paul himself said, “I fought with beasts at Ephesus” – 1 Corinthians 15:32)—yet despite all the urgent responsibilities of service, his teacher says to him first: “Take heed to yourself.”
He places yourself before the teaching, and considers this essential for the salvation of both the servant and the people: “For in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.”
This is a fundamental rule presented by the apostle to everyone, whether servants or ordinary believers—but it touches servants more deeply. Why?
Why take heed to yourself?
Because many servants have reached high levels of fame, activity, and influence. They became well-known names—yet they forgot themselves and were lost.
They served outwardly, but inwardly they were empty.
Some of these servants cared for themselves spiritually before entering service. But once they began serving, spiritual lukewarmness crept into their hearts. They thought their mission was now caring for others, not themselves. Some even became spiritually weaker than their own children or disciples. To all of these, the apostle says: “Take heed to yourself.”
Why?
“For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?” (Matthew 16:26).
What benefit is there for servants who exhaust themselves in ministry, yet neglect their souls and lose the Kingdom? Some imagine they have gained Rachel, only to discover it is Leah.
Many servants found that service brought into their lives problems, conflicts, and judgments they had not known before. Service itself is not the cause of these issues—but one who does not watch himself may reach such a state.
A servant may appear to rise in service, while in reality he is falling spiritually—whether he realizes it or not. As responsibilities increase, time is consumed, spiritual nourishment is neglected, and the soul slips downward.
If such a servant is advised to step back from service to care for his soul, he feels deeply saddened—because service has become everything to him. He cannot imagine life without it.
Yet such a servant must realize an essential truth:
What leads to God is not service, but a pure heart.
True service is not one in which spirituality continually diminishes until it is lost. The servant forgets the words: “The kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21),
and imagines the Kingdom exists only outside, among people.
In the very depths of his service, Saint Paul watched over his soul. That is why he could say honestly: “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27).
How frightening and painful this statement is—to be rejected by God despite preaching to others. Like a bridge that allows people to cross from one shore to another while remaining itself unmoved. Or like church bells that call people to enter the sanctuary while never entering themselves.
Fear this phrase: “Lest I myself should become disqualified.”
Examples of being lost in service
Some servants’ spiritual lives take a pyramidal shape—rising at first to a peak, then steadily declining.
Their time, attention, and emotions are no longer their own. Everything is poured into what they call “service,” while their personal spiritual life receives no time, no care, and no desire. Some imagine this is self-sacrifice.
Self-sacrifice is indeed a virtue—but sacrificing one’s spiritual life is sin and loss.
When John the Baptist said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30), he did not mean decreasing in spirituality or love for God—never! He meant decreasing in honor, prominence, and role, while his spirituality increased through humility, faith, and love.
If you notice spiritual decline—what should you do?
Do not cut from your spiritual life to give to service, and do not abandon service for the sake of spirituality. Instead, cut from wasted time and worldly distractions to nourish your soul.
Awake from neglect. Understand service correctly—it is not a whirlpool that consumes you until you no longer know where you stand.
Biblical examples
- The elder brother in Luke 15 served for years, yet became resentful, judgmental, and disconnected from the father.
- Solomon began with wisdom and glory, yet fell when he stopped watching himself (1 Kings 11).
- David, despite prayer and psalms, fell when he failed to be watchful.
- Demas, a co-worker of Paul, loved the present world and fell (2 Timothy 4:10).
- Nicolaus, one of the seven deacons, also fell.
Common dangers: pride, domination, and anger
When servants grow without self-watchfulness:
- Pride replaces humility
- Learning turns into argument
- Discussion becomes opposition
- Opposition becomes judgment and destruction of others
- Authority turns into domination
- Gentleness is lost
- Anger, shouting, commands, and harsh rebukes increase
Church canons require that a bishop—and all clergy—not be quick-tempered (Titus 1:7). This applies to every servant.
How do you take heed to yourself?
- Always remember your eternity.
Gaining your soul means gaining everything; losing it means losing all. - Know that your life itself is teaching.
Your example teaches more than your words. - Sanctify yourself for the sake of others.
“For their sakes I sanctify Myself” (John 17:19). - Seek spiritual fullness for its own joy, not merely to serve others.
Be filled with love, the Spirit, and knowledge—especially the knowledge of God (John 17:3). - Watch your thoughts.
Ask yourself often: Where is my mind? Is it truly with the Lord? - Watch your actions and behavior.
Examine yourself honestly, without excuses. - Watch your goals and methods.
Are your goals spiritual—or worldly (fame, power, wealth)?
Are your methods pure? - Watch your level:
Is it spiritual, merely social, or merely bodily? - Watch your sins and habits.
Do not justify or normalize them. - Watch your spiritual growth.
Are you advancing, standing still, or going backward?
Take heed to yourself and to the teaching
Teaching is not formality, and service is not a job.
Faith is love passed from heart to heart.
It is faith handed down from generation to generation.
It is example transmitted from life to life.
It is the Kingdom of God spreading and growing.
The spiritual servant is one who is united to God—“God is love”—and therefore overflows with love toward God and people.
As for teaching, it must be sound, as Saint Paul said to Titus: “Speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine” (Titus 2:1).
Let your teaching not be personal opinion, distorted thought, or invented doctrine. Let it be sound, nourishing, appropriate, gradual, pure—free of insults and harsh rebukes—so that whoever hears you feels that the Spirit Himself is speaking through you.
