2 Timothy 3:2
For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous...
If there ever was a time in history when we see self-love, it is now! Take Facebook for instance, there are those who constantly change their profile pic to yet another pose of themselves constantly. If having a picture of yourself wasn't enough, changing several times a week is overload. Sadly, it is here - a culture that is full of itself.
Matthew Henry put it well in his commentary:
Self-love brings in a long train of sins and mischiefs. When men are lovers of themselves, no good can be expected from them, as all good may be expected from those who love God with all their hearts. When covetousness generally prevails, when every man is for what he can get and for keeping what he has, this makes men dangerous to one another, and obliges every man to stand on his guard against his neighbour.
Self-love is a close relative of money-love, they kind of go hand in hand. When all you think about is your SELF, you tend to not think of others and their plight. You will build your bigger barns and look to your own luxury and never consider that you could help someone in need. You will have 5 coats (or shoes ladies!) and your brother in the Lord barely has 1 with holes in it - instead of buy or give him a coat, you will talk about him behind his back. This shouldn't be so among those in the faith!
John Gill's commentary states it this way:
...who only love themselves; their love to God, and Christ, and to the saints, being only in pretence, not in reality; and who do all they do in a religious way, from a principle of self-love, and to selfish and mercenary ends; either to gain glory and applause from men, or to merit something for themselves at the hands of God, without any view to the glory of God, the honour and interest of Christ, and the good of others;
You obviously need to love yourself to love others but you don't grossly over-love yourself to the point you are full of yourself. Let God be first in your life by loving Him and then love your neighbor as yourself and you will never find yourself on the wrong road!
