Exodus 12:41 “And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt.”
Have you ever met someone who drains all the energy out of your body when you see them? Maybe it is junior-age boys and girls; perhaps it is another person who, by just standing underneath a 150-watt light bulb, can drain it down to a 75-watt bulb! I try to avoid people like that! Other people are the exact opposite; they make you feel better, after seeing them, than you felt before. They edify and build you up, and you leave better because of it.
God also gave them a fresh start-a new reference point. Exodus 12:2 says, “This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.” The first day of the Exodus was now the first day of their calendar. They had a new beginning. Someone once said, “Every day is a new life to a wise man.” No matter what happened yesterday, this is a new day. The children of Israel now had a better life and a better calendar because God was leaving them better than He found them.
On top of all that, Exodus 12:36 says, “And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians . . . and they spoiled the Egyptians.” They found favor with the Egyptians-their taskmasters-not because they were wonderful, talented slaves, but because God gave them favor. The children of Israel did not steal the goods; God gave it to them.
The children of Israel came into Egypt a slave; now they were leaving in freedom. They came empty but were leaving with plenty. It is God’s character to leave things better than He finds them. In the Gospels, when Jesus left, water was now wine, deaf men could hear, blind men could see, and the poor had the Gospel preached to them. And that is what He gave to John the Baptist as assurance that He was the One God had sent (Matthew 11:2-6).
Do you leave people better than you find them? Are your days better than you find them? God has a way of leaving things better than finds them, and He has what we need today.
Prayer Requests: – Revival services tonight in Bradenton, FL
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