Jane Cook - Stories of Faith and Courage from the War in Iraq and Afghanistan

Thank you for the founding principles of our nation and those who came to the United States to establish a new nation built on the idea that you designed both civil and church government.

“Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” (Ephesians 5:1–2)

“The thing that makes me tick is 2 Timothy 3:16–17: ‘So that the man of God may be fully equipped for every good work,’” Congressman Todd Akin said, explaining that the Bible provides a blueprint for anything believers need in order to fulfill the tasks God has given them to do.

“You won’t find the details of calculus or some scientific thing in the Bible, but you will find all the principles for life. Now if I were to make a statement to the majority of evangelical churches: ‘the Bible is the blueprint for all of life,’ they would say ‘of course we believe that,’ but their actions suggest that they don’t believe that at all.”

The Bible, the way the founders looked at it, was much more of a blueprint for all aspects of society. As they read it, they discovered the idea of establishing a civil government based on a covenant between groups of people as found in the New Testament church. As a result, the founders replaced the idea of the divine right of kings with a covenantal view of civil government.

“This was a completely new technology built on biblical principles. They believed that if they followed the principles in Scripture, they could build a better civilization. They had the optimism and zeal to go forward and build a new country because they didn’t believe the world was getting worse. By using the principles of God’s Word they believed they could build the “shining city on a hill, a light to the nations.”

“So with this perspective when a person goes to Sunday School class, it’s not ‘if you have enough faith, you can pray for a Cadillac?’ but rather, ‘what does the Bible say about socialism? What does the Bible say about the use of firearms for defending your family? What does the Bible have to say about government?’” Akin asked.

“We should be taking the Bible seriously and applying it to all practical issues, but we’re just not doing that. God has laid this on my heart to see what the Bible has to say about everyday practical matters. The founders viewed the Bible as a gold mine of truth. They believed that society could continue to improve their conditions by building on the blueprint. Today’s populace has barely scratched the surface of what’s there to find,” he said.

Thank you for the blueprint of your word, your Scripture that is my map, my foundation for understanding your plan for life.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16–17)

Maintaining a strong work ethic, no matter the job or challenges, was the prevailing view among the nation’s founders.

“The Puritans believed people had a job to do with their lives. Why should one person look down on another if they were doing what God prepared them to do? So how can I look down at another person for their occupation?” Congressman Akin expressed when it came to his viewpoint of work.

“The one person the Puritans looked down on was the individual who wouldn’t work at all, because he wasn’t doing what God called him to do. They developed what is called the Puritan work ethic, which included the idea of a classless society because every person is a child of God doing his work,” Akin elaborated.

“In ancient Judaism, work was expected of even the highest ranking in a home. A wealthy woman was expected to at least spin wool, even if she had servants. For Americans of the founding era, labor was a reflection of one’s calling, benefiting both the individual and society. All of these concepts have contributed to America’s prosperity over the years.

“One of the things that a soldier runs into in Iraq, particularly as it gets to be summertime, is that it’s not a very pleasant environment. Lots of sand, but not enough beaches to go with it. He wears heavy equipment and armor that contributes to his continuous sweating condition because of the high temperatures,” Akin noted.

The men and women serving in Iraq work round the clock, often 24/7 under strenuous and unimaginable conditions.

Although he’s not worked in the uncomfortable conditions found in Iraq, Akin understands the challenge of thankfulness.

“All of us have unpleasant circumstances in our lives. I got cancer seven years ago and that’s not something I would have chosen on my own, but we’re supposed to be thankful in all circumstances regardless,” he continued, explaining how music, particularly songs of praise, uplifts him. Akin continually referred to the challenge of Philippians 4:4, “which calls us to rejoice in the Lord always.”

A strong work ethic combined with a joyful heart and a gracious, thankful, attitude honors God, blesses others, and even prospers a nation.

Thank you for the blessing of work. No matter my circumstance, may I find ways to praise you and rejoice in you.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4)

In 2 Timothy 3, Paul provides encouragement to his young disciple. He instructs Timothy to continue in what he had learned, was convinced of (firmly persuaded and assured of), knowing who he had learned it from (his teachers) and the sacred writings (the teachings found in the ‘Old Testament’) from an early age (young in Christ). Paul told him this would prepare him for the present (obedience, wisdom, knowledge) and ultimate Paul’s example of “follow-through” is an important principle. In sports the “follow-through” is the concluding part of one’s stroke. In any given sport, it is defined as the continuation of the movement of an arm or leg past the point of contact or of release after hitting, throwing, or kicking a ball or other object. This is the final part of the stroke; the continuing of a process or activity, to completion. Without “follow-through” the action is incomplete.

Who your coach is and how you have been coached makes a difference! Consider these examples:

• Little League Baseball: follow-through enables pitchers to throw, and batters to hit.

• Football: follow-through with kicks, passing, and punts enables distance and precision.

• Golfing: follow-through enables a golfer to perform straight drives on the fairway and accurate putting to the hole, and the ability to wedge shots in sand traps to get out of a deep hole.

• College courses require more than registration and syllabi. Students attend lectures, study, write papers and endure testing to reach graduation.