First Take Heed Unto Thyself

“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 Tim. 4:1616Take 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)).
In this verse we find two sets of things in which there are priorities. First, we must “take heed” unto ourselves before we can properly learn the doctrine in the Word of God. If I am walking in a careless and worldly manner as a Christian, I will not find that the Spirit of God will make His Word good to my soul. I will not be able to learn anything. Rather, the Spirit of God will occupy me with my failure so that I will judge it and get right with the Lord.
Likewise, I must first “save myself” before I can save others. I cannot speak and apply the truth of God to others if I have not applied it to my own soul before God. Note that the word “save” in this verse does not mean eternal salvation. Rather, it is being saved from the power of sin in my life.
When Paul wrote to Timothy, there were some problems and difficulties among the believers in various places, and Paul wanted Timothy to be a help to them. But to do this, he first needed to “save himself,” and then he could be a help to others.
W. J. Prost