National Bible Week

Floor Speech

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Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank my good friend, Mr. Lamborn from Colorado, for having this Special Order Hour.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in celebration of the 79th annual National Bible Week. Since Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1941, every President has set aside a time of reflection and a time of gratitude for the Good Book in acknowledgment of its profound influence on humankind.

The Bible was perhaps the most accessible book to our Founding Fathers, and its principles gave them valuable insights about human nature, civic virtue, political authority, and the rights of our citizens. Many of our founding documents contained references to the great truths found in Scripture.

As stated in the Declaration of Independence, ``That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.''

Mr. Speaker, much like the early days of this great country, we are at a critical time in our history in America. The decisions we make now will set our course for years to come. It is my fervent prayer that we, as Americans, turn to the Scriptures for healing and for direction. Its principles are timeless, and its wisdom is trustworthy.

The Bible has been my comfort in sorrow, my counsel in decisionmaking, my companion in day-to-day life. Whether conducting my business as a dentist in Woodville, Texas, raising my family, or serving the good people of the 36th District of Texas here in Congress, the Good Book continually shapes the way that I try to live my life.

Mr. Speaker, I believe that the Bible is more than a book of inspiration and comfort or simply a compilation of moral teachings. I believe it is the Holy Word of God that contains the truth of his love for us and his plan of redemption through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

One of the most well-known verses in the Bible, John 3:16, tells us that:

God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

There, in the pages of Scripture, God describes His great love for us, a love that was exhibited through the gift of His only Son sent to redeem us. And we are about to celebrate His birth.

Mr. Speaker, I will leave you with a passage of Scripture from the Book of Job in the Old Testament that has been an encouragement for me with its promise of eternal life. I hope that it will be for you as well:

For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the Earth; and after my skin is decayed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me.

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