SOMETHING WORTH GETTING EXCITED ABOUT!

November 11, 2009

SOMETHING WORTH GETTING EXCITED ABOUT!

Psalm 118:19-29

Roseana Smith

Central Truth

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ and have a personal relationship with Him, you have something incredible to be excited about. So go shout it out!

You are my God and I will give you thanks!
You are my God and I will praise you!
(Psalms 118:28)

19 Open to me the gates of righteousness,
    that I may enter through them
    and give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD;
    the righteous shall enter through it.
21 I thank you that you have answered me
    and have become my salvation.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone.^{1

118:22
Hebrew the head of the corner}
23 This is the LORD's doing;
    it is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day that the LORD has made;
    let us rejoice and be glad in it.

25 Save us, we pray, O LORD!
O LORD, we pray, give us success!

26 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD!
    We bless you from the house of the LORD.
27 The LORD is God,
    and he has made his light to shine upon us.
Bind the festal sacrifice with cords,
    up to the horns of the altar!

28 You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you.
29 Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever!

Footnotes

[1] 118:22 Hebrew the head of the corner

Have you ever been so excited about something that you just couldn't keep it to yourself? You just had to tell someone, anyone, everyone, and when you did, you went into great detail, often repeating yourself. Seriously, how did I share information with mass quantities of people before email and text messaging?

Psalms 118 is a hymn of thanksgiving for deliverance from enemies. Not only did the writer of this psalm say he was thankful, he worked really hard to express his thankfulness in great detail. "I will give you thanks, for you answered me . . . . This is the Lord's work. We consider it amazing! . . . The Lord is God and he has delivered us." (verses 21, 23, 27a) Can you hear the excitement?

You and I have been delivered from enemies, too. Christ died for you so that He could be in a relationship with you! That is a true love story! "No greater love" (John 15:13) has ever been shown, and yet the story doesn't stop there. One of the greatest joys of walking with Christ is looking back at how He consistently delivers me from enemies. These aren't human enemies, but they are the equally destructive enemies of laziness, anxiety, lust, and people pleasing.

I vividly remember the fear and anxiety I had trying to figure out what my first job out of college would be. It was such a scary time trying to figure out a career. Now, I look back and see God's faithfulness in closing some doors and opening others. He has totally surpassed my greatest dreams. And let me tell you, my dreams can be pretty great. I found myself in Washington, D.C. just two years later working for the Assistant Secretary of Labor, who is appointed by the President! God has shown me much favor.

As believers, we have so much to be excited about. We have a big God who does big things. Get excited about His work. Tell a few people what you are excited about. You might rub off on some of them!

1. What is it that you get excited about?

2. Do you feel it necessary to tell others about the excitement you're experiencing?

3. When was the last time you got excited about something that someone shared with you?

4. What keeps you from telling others about the things that excite you the most?