National Bible Week
Floor Speech
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Mr. BACON. Mr. Speaker, I thank Congressman Lamborn for organizing this Special Order.
I thank God for the Bible. The Bible is God's Word, and it tells us who God is, that He loves us, that He made us and created the world, that He has an eternal plan for us. The Bible gives me hope. It teaches me how to live, love, forgive, be humble, have self-control, and to be kind. It has given me life's roadmap and a compass to steer me right.
Knowing God's eternal plan and that He gave guidelines on how to live, gives me meaning in life. Without meaning, I would not have been able to face the darkest days of my life, like when I lost my best friend and sister. I have lost four siblings and my mom. Without God, I would not have been able to move forward on many of these days. One of my favorite hymns says: ``I can face tomorrow because He lives.''
My theme verse, that comes from Matthew, says:
Do not store up treasures on Earth, where moth and rust can destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures for yourselves in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.
When I was deployed in Iraq in 2007 and 2008 and we were losing so many soldiers, brothers and sisters in arms, I thought of this other verse from Matthew every single day: ``Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.''
I knew al-Qaida and the Shia militias could possibly kill me, but I was assured that my soul was secure with God.
When things are not going well, I think of Paul's words when God told him: ``My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.''
Now that I am in political office, I often apply this verse, one I overlooked much of my life: ``Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.''
We are all imperfect and need God's redemption. Thankfully, God sent His only Son to take the punishment of the sins we commit. He saved us. The Bible says that when we put our faith in Him, we are redeemed.
John Newton famously wrote: ``When we've been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we've no less days to sing God's praise than when we'd first begun.''
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