Musings on a life powered by a Christian faith that can move mountains

I am a husband, father, educator, coach, and sports fan. I blog about life and faith, love and truth, and share my experiences to inform, inspire, & encourage. I am still building my website. As you can see, I have started to post blogs. PLEASE email me at karltucker4@gmail.com with any comments or questions,. Email me about anything – I promise that I'll respond!!

Not Just For Me

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As a Christian, I believe in a God who loves me, provides guidance and leadership in my life, and forgives me to the degree that it’s like my sins never occurred. In this way, God is a personal savior; personal to me and my life. But Christ is so much more. In the June 24th, 2024 edition of Breakpoint Daily,1 John Stonestreet makes this powerful observation about Christianity:

“Christianity is not private. It makes claims about all of reality, most notably that Christ is Lord of all. Christianity cannot be reduced to a therapeutic or pragmatic formula. It is to be lived publicly, as followers of Christ proclaim that He is Lord over all of reality.”

So, as much as Christ is my savior, He is also so much more! My belief in a God who created me and saved me has tremendous implications not only for my own life but also for the world. He died to save the world and did that as Lord over all the universe. He knows the diversity of his creation and lived and died desiring all to belief and be saved.

I remember years ago attending a sales conference. The keynote speaker was tasked to inspire us as salespeople to get excited about selling, shed any fears that we had in pitching to others, and believe that we had the greatest products and services the world had ever seen. His approach was somewhat unique and unorthodox. While on stage he took off his jacket, rolled up his sleeve, and showed us his brand new gold Rolex watch ala Alec Baldwin in Glenngary Glenn Ross. He did not utter the famous line from that movie, “Coffee is for closers!” but he did proceed to share all the details of the watch, at one point jumping off the stage and excitedly asking several people to hold the watch and admire its quality and craftsmanship.

He then stepped back up on stage, stood behind the podium, leaned forward on his elbows, lowered his voice and concluded by pointing out that everyday we tell others about things we find enjoyable and important like he did with us about his Rolex. We share about the great new restaurant that opened up or the movie we just watched or the stock in our portfolio that is performing so well. His final encouragement: consider the company you represent and the goods and services offered like that restaurant, movie, or stock tip – something so important, so valuable, so worthwhile that you must share with others.

Christianity is so important, so valuable, and so life-changing that we must live out our faith publicly and share our faith with others. The claim that Jesus is Lord over all reality is certainly more important than anything this world has to offer. It’s a claim that challenges each of us to consider the person of Jesus and ask serious questions about life and worldview. Christianity offers eternal life to those who believe that Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection paid the price for our sins2; Christianity proclaims an end to pain and suffering when Christ returns3; Christianity claims that the God of the Bible is sovereign over all of creation4; Christianity offers peace, hope, joy, and love for all who love Jesus5; and Christianity asserts a great perspective for all who believe: our present sufferings are nothing compared to the glory we have waiting for us upon Christ’s return. 6

Please don’t walk away from this blog upset at my assertions. Instead, stay with me as we walk down this road together. Ask tough questions; read scripture; talk to others; and consider the implications for you and the world if what the Bible claims about Jesus is true. And please reach out to me with any questions or comments (karltucker4@gmail.com).

  1. “Personal But Not Private”, Breakpoint Daily published by the Colson Center for Christian Worldview. Published 6/24/24 ↩︎
  2. John 3:16; see also John 3:17 & 18 which states “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned…” ↩︎
  3. Perhaps my favorite verse in the Bible because it proclaims the eternal life we have to look forward to in terms that speak to what we will not have to endure any longer. Revelations 4:21says this: “He (God) will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things (the world we live in today) has passed away.” ↩︎
  4. Genesis 1:1 and onward tells us that God created everything. My favorite verses on this topic are found in Paul’s letter to the Christians in Colosse. Colossians 1:16 & 17 state: “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.” Yep, that includes you and me! ↩︎
  5. In Romans 15:13 Paul expresses his hope for all who believe: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the holy spirit.” See also Paul’s description of the fruits of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22 & 23: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” ↩︎
  6. In Romans Paul goes into great detail describing our relationship with God. He asserts that we are God’s children and, therefore, are heirs of God and co-heirs with His son Jesus. (Romans 8:16-17). This family dynamic places us in a position to suffer, as Christ suffered. As humans we suffer. Paul argues that we should be OK with that because we have so much to look forward to. He writes that our present suffering is not worth comparing to the life we have waiting for us in eternity (Romans 8:18). Eugene Peterson says it this way, “That’s why I don’t think there’s any comparison between the present hard times and the coming good times. The created world itself can hardly wait for what’s coming next.” ↩︎

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