{"id":2873,"date":"2026-03-03T13:27:04","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T13:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/?page_id=2873"},"modified":"2026-03-09T11:13:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T11:13:54","slug":"when-life-loses-purpose","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/when-life-loses-purpose\/","title":{"rendered":"When Life Loses Purpose\u2026 the Reverse Lesson"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Here you can find the video script written for our third session as a reference.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have a little theory, that while we tend to think we want ease, comfort and security, the thing we really deeply desire is purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We pursue it in all kinds of ways, through all kinds of things, and often forfeit ease and comfort in the process. We want our lives to mean something, to be caught up in something big \u2014 of real worth and significance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the thing that can really strip us of hope in tough circumstances, is the loss of purpose. Or at least, our perception of it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I do believe that, if you\u2019re following Jesus, nothing outside of yourself can actually rob you of purpose, no matter how impaired, disqualified or disabled you might feel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Purpose can show up and unfold in all sorts of unexpected ways; in how God uses us, and infuses it even into the most difficult of situations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what pleases God might be a little different to what we tend to think. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We might not be doing the things we once set our hearts on. But that deep valley that took away our hopes and dreams can actually unlock something completely new. Something deeper, that\u2019s of real value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So in this video, we\u2019re going to explore just this. And I do believe this subject is very much one of comfort, hope and joy for suffering saints. And even if life is really good right now \u2014 I think it\u2019s well worth your time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We all want lives filled with purpose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The World Needs Suffering Saints<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The truth is the world needs people who have suffered, who\u2019ve been exposed to all the nuance, the anguish, the compounding layers of pain and complexity that dark trials bring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

God uses people who have walked that path \u2014 worked through the crisis of faith it can bring \u2014 yet come out with their eyes fixed his goodness and grace. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if this is you, you can speak from experience, wisdom and insight in a way that others in a way that others around you might not be able to yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But before we get in to all of that, I want to chat about something quite foundational. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Please Speak…<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A while back, I was praying for God to really speak to me again, to cook up something special. Sometimes God speaks in a manner that\u2019s so specific, tailored and timely that it really switches the light on inside of you \u2014 because you just know<\/em> that he sees you. You know you\u2019re in his sights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just every so often I feel like I get a moment like this, but it had been a while. I was feeling very tired and dry, and just wanted something like this again. For the fog to lift, and to see something new. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the very next morning, it 100% felt like God answered, crystal clear. Like someone rang a bell and breakfast was served.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I woke up pretty early, as is my tendency. I fired up YouTube on the TV (confession: I really love YouTube) and right there on my feed was a Tim Keller video on Job. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I never watch Tim Keller. Or at least, I haven\u2019t for quite a few years. Not because I don\u2019t think he\u2019s great (he’s amazing) \u2014 I\u2019ve just been watching lots of other stuff. And so, he hardly ever features in my feed. But it was a video on Job, and it just felt like I was meant to watch it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And it was a wonderful video outlining the book, with the heart of it focusing on this one big question:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does Job really love God for just himself, or is he actually just using him to get good things?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Job passes through different levels of suffering, his faith is being tested. And the same question is asked over and over: does Job love God just for himself, or will he walk away if God lowers that hedge of protection, and the storm sets in?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a fantastic little video (you can watch it online here<\/a>). As it turns out, it was the very last video Tim Keller was able to record in that series before he got too unwell to continue; before he ultimately died in 2023. Again \u2014 it\u2019s like \u201cwow, look at how that lined up.\u201d It felt very poignant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s naturally a big question here that applies to all of us as we put ourself in the story. \u201cDo we love God just for himself?\u201d. Do we love him just for who he is \u2014 a God of pure love and infinite wisdom, who\u2019s already given us Jesus? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s incredibly important to think about. But that\u2019s not the thing. That\u2019s not what switched the light on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After really musing on this for a good couple of days, a thought occurred, and it reverberated right through me \u2014 that there\u2019s a reverse lesson, and it\u2019s wonderful.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you flip it around, there\u2019s something really beautiful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Reverse Lesson<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

And it\u2019s this: God doesn\u2019t love me because I give him good things; he loves me just for me \u2014 just for myself. I\u2019m accepted as I am.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s nothing in my performance or my works that can cause me to climb the ranks of his favour. I\u2019m already his son. I\u2019m already there. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which is incredibly good news when you feel disabled, clamped down and restricted. When circumstances have caused your four walls to press in, and you can\u2019t do all the good things any more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The thing that God loves about your works, is possibly not the works themselves, but the love and the faith behind the works. 1 Corinthians 13 is echoing around my head right now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s the listening, the obedience and the walking in step with him that he loves. It\u2019s seeking his praise first and foremost, rather than the praise of man \u2014 which in our case might be the praise from other Christians.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That hit me like a ton of bricks. Wow. He loves me just for me. Not because I try my best to be generous, or serve at church, or that I try to be skillful in my job and outperform expectations. Just me. Raw and unfiltered. Even when I still need a bit of work, or perhaps, a lot of work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

His favour doesn\u2019t drop when I try my best and don\u2019t succeed; when I don\u2019t manage to achieve the goals and dreams I set my heart on. Goals and dreams which \u2014 maybe \u2014 took up a little too much space in my heart, and became a bit too important to me. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t know if you can relate to that? We so easily source our identity and sense of worth from what we do, and what we accomplish. And that can propel us into disorientation and despair when that centre of gravity gets moved, or taken away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God loves you just for you. And it\u2019s such good news. Especially when you\u2019ve been incapacitated or impaired in some way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps that\u2019s with health \u2014 you feel like your body has locked you inside a prison. Or perhaps circumstances have done that. Maybe injustice has sidelined you, or trials and difficulties of all sorts have left you feeling benched. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While losing that stuff is really tough, no one can take away the things that really count: your faith, your listening, your obedience and humility as life hits a junction and our Father sets a new course, a new direction, and speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We, in the West, are in a sense all children of the industrial revolution. We value productivity and efficiency, and we so often gauge our worth on the value of our achievements. It starts at a young age, where we try and get good grades. And we spend our lives running on an endless treadmill, perhaps at an unsustainable pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet sometimes God steps in and slows the pace right down. Or yanks us right off it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019ve always found this passage in Matthew 7 quite fascinating. It\u2019s Jesus speaking, in the Sermon on the Mount.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He says \u201cNot everyone who says to me \u2018Lord, Lord\u2019 will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. On that day many will say to me, \u2018Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?\u2019 And then I will declare to them, \u201cI never knew you; depart from me you workers of lawlessness.\u201d (7:21-23)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is actually quite a scary passage. For some reason I find myself drawn to the scary passages! I think it\u2019s because I really want to understand them, because they feel so significant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And once we get past that we can see that this passage is about people who did all the stuff \u2014 all the impressive works \u2014 but never formed a relationship with Jesus. And now they\u2019re standing before his judgement seat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They never really talked with him, walked with him, or found out what he wanted. They didn\u2019t listen, they just did the things that they got excited about. They just did things that looked impressive to them, and probably made them look good to other Christians. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They thought they were accepted through their works, that it was their achievements that gave them real value. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what this passage reveals is Jesus\u2019 heart for relationship, for talking and listening. For those who will slow down and seek out the will of his Father in Heaven, and not just rush on with their own plans. He says \u201cmy sheep hear my voice\u201d. That\u2019s one of the ways we know we\u2019re saved \u2014 we keep hearing him speak!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has good work for each of us. Sometimes it\u2019s a lot, and sometimes it\u2019s a little. But we have to listen, walk in step and change direction and pace when needed. I believe what we do changes through different seasons \u2014 and we go through different phases of intensity, and output. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And sometimes it\u2019s just not as much as we\u2019d like; perhaps quite different from what we had envisioned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. I won\u2019t read it here, but Jesus tells a story of a man who gives some money to three of his servants \u2014 three different amounts according to their ability \u2014 with the task of using that money to make money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two of them achieve an amazing return on his investment. They double the money, a 100% return. This is unheard of. It\u2019s incredible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the words of the master are interesting. He says \u201cwell done good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s their goodness and faithfulness which is commended, not their output. He didn\u2019t say \u201cwell done productive and efficient servant\u201d, but instead is pleased with their character, pleased that they can be trusted. He\u2019s pleased with the person behind the work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This becomes very apparent with the third servant, who doesn\u2019t do so well. He isn\u2019t given as much. He panics, digs a hole and buries the money, just so he doesn\u2019t lose it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps he felt like he didn\u2019t have the same ability or capacity as the other guys. He couldn\u2019t do what they could do. So instead, he does nothing at all, and just preserves what he was given. In a sense, he\u2019s saying to his master \u201cyou were foolish to give me this task; I just can\u2019t do it. And I refuse to even try\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what\u2019s really interesting is how the master responds. He\u2019s not angry that he didn\u2019t produce the amazing profits the other guys did; but instead suggests something pretty basic. He could have just put the money the in bank, and earned some interest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s so simple, and anyone could have done that! It probably wouldn\u2019t even have taken long. And you realise, it was faithfulness the master was looking for; he valued character much more than ability or profits. Maybe he wasn\u2019t such a hard task master after all \u2014 as this third servant thought. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s such a valuable lesson here, that God values our character and our faithfulness, over our abilities and achievements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And in tough seasons of life, where we feel like we can\u2019t do much, we can\u2019t think of God as a hard taskmaster who\u2019s only pleased when we somehow achieve things that are beyond us \u2014 what others can do but we can\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our purpose runs parallel to our faithfulness. And no circumstance can rob you of that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

No impairment or disability. In fact, the harder life gets, the more your faith \u2014 and faithfulness \u2014 is demonstrated to your Father, and to everyone else around. Your faith itself becomes, in a sense, the greatest work or achievement you could ever hope to come up with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I really think it pleases God, who isn\u2019t a hard taskmaster, who loves it when you\u2019re faithful in the small things. When I became a father, I realised I couldn\u2019t help but love those little critters no matter what they might get up to!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re beautiful. They\u2019re wonderfully designed and created in ways that blow my mind \u2014 and they resemble both my wife and I. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t love them because of their output, because they get do good drawings, or help tidy up or whatever. They can please me and they can grieve me; but I love them just for them, and your Father in heaven feels the same way about you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hope some of that sank in. It really hit me recently, and it took about 40 years of me being a Christian for that to happen. It\u2019s crazy, because you would think in some ways this should be the basics. But sometimes the simplist things are the hardest to grasp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think there\u2019s a big question here, and I hope you don\u2019t mind me asking it. Is there some task or achievement or failing hanging over your head that you need to be released from? Some goal or dream that you might have put too much of your hope in, too much of your identity in \u2014 that you need to let go of?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we can take that hope, and instead put it in what Jesus has already done for us, then Isaiah 40 can lift us into the heavens:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint\u201d (NIV)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As it turns out, I\u2019ve actually needed to split this video into two, just because of it\u2019s length. So there\u2019s a whole second half to this video, diving into a recreated sense of purpose, which, especially when times are tough, can fill your heart with joy. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBack to Treasures of Darkness<\/a>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here you can find the video script written for our third session as a reference. I have a little theory, that while we tend to think we want ease, comfort and security, the thing we really deeply desire is purpose. We pursue it in all kinds of ways, through all kinds of things, and often … Continue reading “When Life Loses Purpose\u2026 the Reverse Lesson”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2873","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2873","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2873"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2873\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2894,"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2873\/revisions\/2894"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kings.church\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2873"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}