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KEY TEXT: Exodus 19:4 (KJV) – “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings and brought you unto Myself.”

“Experience in practical life is indispensable.” – Education Page 277.1, Ellen G. White.

“The rich experience you gain will be of more value to you than gold or silver or precious stones.” – With God at Dawn, Page 105, Ellen G. White.

Evaluated experience is the best teacher, but there are things you don’t have to experience to know how harmful they can be. You can learn them from evaluating the experience of others.

Exodus 19:4 (KJV) – “Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings and brought you unto myself.”

“Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians.” In other words, God was telling the Israelites “You have seen My power and what I can do to people who disobey Me, I don’t have to do the same to you. Look and evaluate that experience and then learn from it. It doesn’t have to be your own experience.”

Joshua 2:9-11 (KJV) – “⁹ And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. ¹⁰ For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. ¹¹ And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.”

Rahab heard what God had done to the children of Israel, how He dried up the sea for them, and what He did to the two kings of the Amorites. Having heard these things she knew that the God the Israelites serve is the true God of heaven and earth. Everyone in Jericho heard those stories (Joshua 2:10 – For we have heard). However, they did not evaluate that experience and acted in fear of God. They ended up in destruction.

From time immemorial, the Israelites knew what the power of God could do. Some had the privilege to witness but still went ahead to sin. Severally the Israelites were taken into captivity by other nations as a punishment from God but returned to their sinful ways. Their experience was of no use because they did not evaluate it. They had read or heard of the things God did in the past to people who disobeyed Him but still did not believe. God sent many prophets to forewarn them but they still did not listen. They saw God punishing those who are disobedient but they chose to continue with disobedience.

The same lies with us Christians today. We have seen how dangerous sin is and what it has done to the lives of people who dwell in it but still choose the ways of sin. We have seen what alcohol has done to our friends and relatives but still choose it. We have seen what failure to trust in God has resulted in other people’s lives and sometimes in our lives, but we still choose not to trust Him.

In the book Patriarchs and Prophets, when talking about the flood, Ellen G. White writes that some people didn’t believe that it was God who brought the flood they said natural causes brought it. That is the same with us today. God can bring a small calamity to warn us, but we fail to discern it and change our ways. God may want you to change your diet and eating habits so He allows a certain illness to befall you. You keep praying to Him for healing, but nothing happens because He wants you to evaluate and change your diet.

God might have caused you to be locked in prison for a while because He wants you to evaluate and change your ways and live a righteous life. God might have brought temporary poverty to you because He wants you to evaluate and be more excellent in your work. Failing to evaluate our experiences causes immobility in our lives.

“We’ve all heard, “Experience is the best teacher,” but it’s simply not true. Experience is not the best teacher; it never has been and never will be. Maturity doesn’t always come with time; sometimes, age brings nothing more than wrinkles and gray hair. Experience is not the best teacher; evaluated experience is the best teacher. Reflective thinking is needed to turn experience into insight. We draw lessons from the past only when we study it. I have a habit of spending time each evening in reflective thinking. When I get ready for bed, I take ten minutes to look back on my day—conversations I’ve had, people I’ve met, things I’ve done, statements I’ve said—and I make note of significant lessons. Now, the younger you are, the less experience you have to evaluate. Since you have limited firsthand experience yourself, look to borrow it from a mentor. Listen, learn, and ask questions from somebody successful who has gone before you. A wise leader never stops seeking to glean from the experiences of others.” – John C. Maxwell.

Take time each day to evaluate your experiences of the day. It can be ten to thirty minutes. Do this every day before you go to sleep. Take time each week to evaluate your experiences for the week, probably on Friday before the Sabbath, what you have accomplished and what you have failed to accomplish. Take time at the end of the month to evaluate your month and at the end of the year to evaluate your year so that you don’t repeat the same mistakes.

In what ways are you willing to change? What new habits are you willing to adopt? When evaluating whether it is daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly, ask yourself how you have impacted your family (because charity begins at home) and how you have impacted your community and the world at large.

In the book of Genesis 1, the story of creation. God evaluated everything that He had done each day. On the first day, Genesis 1:4 says – “And God saw the light, that it was good.” On the second day, Genesis 1:10 says – “And God saw that it was good.” On the third day, Genesis 1:12 says – “And God saw that it was good.” On the fourth day, Genesis 1:18 – “And God saw that it was good.” On the fifth day, Genesis 1:21 – “And God saw that it was good.” On the sixth day and the end of the week, “And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good (Genesis 1:31).” God evaluated daily, and He evaluated at the end of the week. God, who is perfect, takes time to evaluate. Who are we not to do that?

Experience teaches, but evaluated experience transforms. God didn’t ask Israel to suffer Egypt’s plagues, He asked them to remember them. Wisdom comes not from what we go through, but from what we learn from what we or others have gone through.

Take time to evaluate. Form new habits. Don’t repeat the same mistakes.

He who reflects grows wise. He who learns from others’ mistakes walks safely. And the one who walks with God, evaluating every step, soars like an eagle above repeated failure.

GOD BLESS YOU, SHALOM!

Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of experience, both mine and those of others. Help me not only to go through life but to grow through it. Teach me to pause, reflect, and learn from every step, every success, every failure, and every testimony. Give me wisdom to evaluate my journey with honesty and humility. May I walk in obedience, not needing to learn from painful lessons that I have brought to myself, but drawing insight from what You’ve already revealed. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Activity

Title: “The EAGLE Method – Soaring Through Evaluated Experience”
Based on Exodus 19:4: “…I bare you on eagles’ wings…”

Every evening (or Sabbath evening), spend 10–30 minutes reflecting using this EAGLE acronym:

• E – Experience: What happened today/this week? (Key moments, decisions, conversations)
• A – Attitude: What was my mindset or attitude during those moments?
• G – God’s Guidance: Where did I see God’s hand or hear His voice in the situation?
• L – Lessons Learned: What can I take away or do differently moving forward?
• E – Evaluate: Based on this reflection, what action will I take tomorrow/week?
• Share this message with someone.

Bonus Prompt for the Week/Month:

• Did I impact my family, friends, or community positively?
• What mistake do I want to avoid repeating next time?
• How did I live out my faith this week?

Author: Mark Alex   

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