Wisdom and Inspiration
by Clifton Kirkpatrick

As a child, I had to memorize the Westminster Shorter Catechism. It was hard work! Providence, justification, sanctification, effectual calling—tough words to pronounce, much less concepts to understand, as a child. However, when the day of reckoning came, I thankfully passed the test.

As I reflect on that experience, it wasn’t the memorization of the catechism or the test that proved I had committed the words to memory that stand out most in my mind. What I remember most vividly about that experience was the gift I received for passing the test—my first Bible, with my name in gold letters on the cover.

Learning Scripture
One of the first Bible verses I memorized—as I bet is the case for many of you—was John 3:16. The King James Version said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” I also learned the verse that followed: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

Little did I realize then the magnitude of those two verses: God’s passion for the world through Jesus Christ—the very heart and foundation of our mission efforts here at home and around the world.

Clifton Kirkpatrick is Stated Clerk of the General Assembly, PC(USA).

Illustration by Paula Wiggings/The SpiritSource.com

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