I Tim. 6:11 ... "Flee from these things, you man of God; and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness."
As we make our way through life, we are traveling through a region on a journey that we make only once. We have never been this way before and shall never come this way again. We are informed in Heb. 11:13 that we are "strangers and exiles on the earth." We are therefore unable to rely on previous experience at any particular point since we have never before been there to acquire the experience of it. But we are much in need of experience in choosing the best course among several alternatives that lead ahead from any given situation.
A little assistance might be found in looking backward into one's life to similar situations and using the experience gained from the decision then made and the consequences that followed. We are pointed in this direction by the proverb that "experience is the best teacher." Perhaps, but what do we do when we face a situation for the first time? J.A. Froude, the English historian, answers, "Experience teaches slowly, and at the cost of mistakes." The lesson that experience has taught many can never be applied, because their mistakes resulted in death. More help might come from tapping into the experience of other people who have already passed through approximately the same life context we are now facing. The accumulated experience of people from ages past is one definition of history, and the German philosopher Goethe warned that "those who ignore the lessons of history are bound to repeat the calamities that taught them." Nevertheless, this source of help is valuable only up to a point and must not be trusted without reservation. The best of human wisdom can be wrong when the basic issues of the cause of our existence, the meaning of life, and future destiny are concerned. We are advised in Jer. 10:23 that "a man's way is not in himself; nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps." There is always a risk in relying on one's own past experience, or that of other people, in choosing the best path ahead from a current situation. Life has so many variables that almost never do they occur in the same patterns of relation and emphasis. In other words, no two contexts of life are ever quite the same.
This is where the Bible becomes so important in our lives, for God has given it to us out of His own perfect wisdom to guide us in making the best decisions. Psa. 119:105 announces that "Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path." It will show us the best course from any point in life, if we will hold it up in faith to let it illuminate the way before us. The One who gave us the Bible is supreme in wisdom, has the vision to see clearly as far into the future as He wishes, and possesses the power to manipulate world forces to accomplish His will. If we will yield the course of our lives to His holy guidebook, God has promised to apply His infinite abilities to our welfare. The lead text above has its application in this frame of thought. As we stand at any crossroads in life and survey the many ways that radiate out into the future, where they are immediately shrouded in the mists of the unknown, the revealed divine wisdom warns us that there are some which we must avoid. The words, "O man of God, flee from these things," refer to the avenues to trouble. The context of this statement warns us against roads that pass through resentment of others, pride, envy, strife, vain speculation, and the lust for wealth. Only one road is pointed to as the best for us travel, the one that leads through "righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness." This is, of course, the only safe way that traverses the turmoil of the world safely to end in eternal happiness. It is the road of life that sometimes in the New Testament is called The Christian Way, (Acts 24:14).
