I quit #1

Northside Church

I quit #1

Jamey Mills

1/8/23

Good Morning Northside… My name is Jamey and I’m the lead pastor here at Northside… It’s great to have you here or online…

Thanks Bill,

I appreciate your sharing and the way you’ve served northside really since the very beginning.

Just a quick reminder, that NS is making the move from an MT to an elder board on Feb. 5th. We’ve talked a lot about that… and there will be more info to come. But if you have any questions please feel free to email them to the office.

Bill has been serving on the MT and is a candidate for the elder board… encourage you to get to know him.

First week of 2023 is behind us… called I quit (slide)

Which seems appropriate as we sort of stare down 2023

The new year… is often a time where people sort of evaluate and set some goals… or resolutions… the idea usually is that they want to be better versions of themselves…

Resolutions are funny things…

There are often things we want to start doing

Things we want to quit doing

Or things we want to do differently…

Here are some I ran across that folks have made…

It's only the first week of 2023 and I've already gotten rid of all the junk food in the house… it was delicious.

I am committed to spending 1 week communicating exclusively in memes…

Make a movie about that experience similar to super size me…

Finish at least one of the projects that I started in 2019

To find… torture and then destory the mole that is ruining my yard, breaking my sprinklers and stealing my beer. PS honey, we are out of beer again… stupid mole.

Live my best life through exclusively buying pants with elastic waistbands.

Sign up for a marathon… I intend to show up… but you gotta start somewhere.

Read more… I will turn on subtitles

Give up blaming the dog or my kids for all the weird smells in the house.

As I was reading these things it dawned on me that not all resolutions are worth much…

But having goals that are thought out, centered on the right things, are achievable, and measurable… are good things…

It got me thinking…

What kinds of things would need to be true over the next 51 weeks that make up 2023 that would cause me to feel like my life was really moving forward?

What are the areas you’d want to grow in? Take steps forward in? And what motivates them?

Matthew 6:19–21 NLT

“Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

(NLT)

19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 21 Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be.

This is one of my favorite sections out of a sermon that Jesus preached… the Sermon on the Mount is what we call it… Matt ch. 5-7, literally the best sermon ever preached.

Jesus starts this passage off talking about what we treasure… what is it that we value… and even asking us to consider… the lasting value of those things.

And in my life and ministry, it’s become clear just how easy it is to leave that sort of unchecked… to be honest… I feel like that is sort of our default…

When was the last time you sat down and really thought through what really matters to you? What is it that you truly treasure?

If we are not intentional with that… the truth is we are drifting or coasting at best…

About 28 years ago… I went to a seminar in WA state on time management…

And they reminded us

of that important truth God Himself shares with us…

James 4:14 NLT

How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.

(NLT)

14 How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.

The idea is making the most of the time you have… Life is short… this was a national reminder of just how quickly and unexpectedly it can come to an end this week…

And the first thing they did was give you 30 minutes to write your own epitaph…

How do you want people to remember you when you're gone?

What kinds of things do you want to be true of you?

Basically, it is a picture of who you really want to be…

But they reminded us that you’re not getting there by accident. You’re not going to slip and fall into a pile of whatever that is…

It takes intentionality… investment… course correction…

But the main thing they taught was this…

Your life is made up of days just like today, one right after the other.

And if those are the things that you value… if those are things that you want to be true of you… then those things need to be reflected in our day to day living… put on our schedule… protected… priorities that drive us…

Otherwise… those things will never be true of us…

Whatever we value is probably most reflected by what we live out in life.

So if I were to ask you… what those around you would say that you value, what do you think they'd say… and are you content with it.

The more intentional we can be the better.

Matthew 6:22–24 NLT

“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is! “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

22 “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. 23 But when your eye is unhealthy, your whole body is filled with darkness. And if the light you think you have is actually darkness, how deep that darkness is!

24 “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.

Jesus talked about what it is that we value and now he talks about what it is that we have our eyes fixed on…

It reminds me a lot of mountain biking… I don't do that any more… One of our friends here at NS just told me about a really crazy crash and shoulder surgery that followed… this if for you…

Through all of my motorcycle and mountain biking stuff… They always taught me to fix my eyes on where I want to go… and not on what I am trying to avoid…

That whatever your eyes are fixed on has this odd gravitational pull… you end up sort of merging in that direction… I’ve donated a lot of blood that way.

I feel like Jesus is asking… what are your eyes set on… what are you focused on…

It has a lot to do with where you're going…

It remind me of

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 NLT

Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

(NLT)

24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

What are you running for, what are you eyes fixed on… what are you taking steps toward…

I feel like Jesus reminds us that if our eyes are fixed on the wrong thing… and we continue to move down that path… the harder it is to recognize we are on the wrong path…

And He reminds us that

We cannot have our eyes fixed on two different things. We cannot be pulled in two different directions.

… that would pull us in two different directions… this is a huge issue in the American church…

So the question is… what's really anchoring it…

If I were to ask those around you what you're focused on, what would they say? Are you content with that?

Matthew 6:25–32 NLT

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.

25 “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? 27 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life?

28 “And why worry about your clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, 29 yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. 30 And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith?

31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.

When I read that passage this week, I kept coming back to one thing…

When it comes to what we value and what we fix our eyes on….

It has to do with trust.

I was listening to something that John Maxwell taught a while back…

Three questions that matter:

Do you care for me

Can you help me

Can I trust you

Those questions are incredibly important when it comes to intentional living.

Do you believe that God cares for you?

Do you believe that He can help you?

Can you trust Him?

Those things I believe… are the only things that will free you up from the rat race of life and give you the sort of peace that I almost feels required to let go of everything else… so that you might really live for what matters.

Matthew 6:33–34 NLT

Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.

34 “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.

What anchors us, keeps us from spinning our wheels, keeps us from drifting is intentionally seeking Jesus.

what’s intended to anchor it… what keeps us from spinning our wheels and just drifting in life…

It’s intentional… seeking Jesus, investing in Jesus… seeking His kingdom above all else and trusting Him with the rest.

One of the things that was absolutely huge for me when I became a believer was right here…

I could see how pursuing Jesus first in my life… not only was the best thing for me… but it also moved me toward those things that I really want to be true of me.

When I allow Jesus to shape me… my values… my priorities… it impacts every other thing in my life… it moves me toward being the man I want to be there too.

Here is my list…

I want to be remembered as…

A man who walked with God everyday.

Prayer, word, and with His people

A good and godly husband

A good and godly father

A true and godly friend

Known as someone who serves others

A good leader for Northside

A man who laughed a lot

A man who made time for what matters most.

IF those things aren’t reflected and protected in the way I live my life…

They will never become true of me.

Investing in Jesus… will have a huge impact on the relationship with Brandi if I am really seeking to follow Him. same with my kids. Same with my friends… Same with my coworkers…

Road to hell is paved with good intentions… there’s a lot I don’t like about that statement… but there is some truth to it too.

It’s not uncommon for people to think about things they’d like to see become true of them.

It is uncommon for those things to begin to shape the way we live our everyday lives.

What do you value?

What are your eyes set on?

Who do you trust?

A few passages that come to mind…

I think about the passages when Jesus called Matthew, Andrew, Simon, James and John… He told each of them… come and “follow me”.

What do you suppose that meant? Jesus wasn’t calling them to more of the same. In some ways, he was calling them out of the ruts…

It actually meant something… following Jesus… changed their lives, values, priorities, schedules, relationships…

And one of the questions I’d have is… do you think our call to follow Him looks different? Does it mean something else?

1 Corinthians 3:6 (ESV)

6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.

I really want to see those things come true in my life… but it’s God that makes that a reality… He is the one initiates, coordinates and causes growth in you…

But he partners with you in that process… God in his infinite wisdom… has given us resources… opportunities… to seek Him… to know Him… to invest in Him… that empowers us…

James 4:8 NLT

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

(NLT)

8 Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world.

Draw close to God… and He will draw close to you.

That we will live and intentionally invest in… drawing close to God in every part of our lives.

At the very core of it… I believe it is how we were created…

That is my prayer for 2023 for you… and for me.

How do we do that…

3MIT’s and getting plugged in and serving others.

Consistency matters.

Small groups

Proverbs 4:20–27 NLT

My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body. Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; stay on the safe path. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.

(NLT)

20 My child, pay attention to what I say.

Listen carefully to my words.

21 Don’t lose sight of them.

Let them penetrate deep into your heart,

22 for they bring life to those who find them,

and healing to their whole body.

23 Guard your heart above all else,

for it determines the course of your life.

24 Avoid all perverse talk;

stay away from corrupt speech.

25 Look straight ahead,

and fix your eyes on what lies before you.

26 Mark out a straight path for your feet;

stay on the safe path.

27 Don’t get sidetracked;

keep your feet from following evil.

It starts with drawing nearer to God… not in checking a list… but drawing near… living in close relationship with Him… knowing that it will significantly impact and even educate every other goal I have.

And so the question is… what do you want to be true of you…

I want to quit coasting in life and in my faith… and I want to be more intentional.

And my hope and prayer for each of us… is that it starts with where it matters most…

What is one thing… that you are committing to this year to draw nearer to Jesus?

Tell someone.

Pray

Daniel Communion thought