"And I have appointed you, so that you may go forth and bear fruit, and so that your fruit may last." John 15:16

THE INNER CIRCLE

by Flora Kirkland

Have you heard the voice of Jesus
Whisper, I have chosen you?
Does He tell you in communion
What He wishes you to do?

As the first disciples followed,
As they went where’er He sent;
So today we, too, may follow,
On His leading still intent.

Or, if He shall choose to send us
On some errand in His name,
We can serve Him as disciples,
For our place is just the same.

Master, at Thy footstool kneeling,
We, Thy children, humbly wait;
Lead us, send us, bless us, use us,
Till we enter Heaven’s gate.

Are you in the inner circle?
Have you heard the Master’s call?
Have you giv’n your life to Jesus?
Is He now your all in all?

Scriptural texts: Ronald L. Conte Jr., translator and editor: The SacredBible, Catholic Public Domain Version, Original Edition.
Song retrieved from The Cyber Hymnal™ which lists over 11,000 Christian hymns with bios, midi files, and sheet music.

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Here is Psalm 14 from my book, "Praying the Psalms for the Unborn Child."

Psalm 14

Folly and Wickedness of Men.
(wicked vs the righteous)
God lives in the world in His Church which is an extension of the body of Christ²⁰.

1The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God"
They are corrupt, they have committed abominable deeds;
There is no one who does good.
2The LORD has looked down from heaven upon the sons of men
To see if there are any who understand,
Who seek after God.
3They have all turned aside, together they have become corrupt;
There is no one who does good, not even one.

4Do all the workers of wickedness not know,
Who eat up my people as they eat bread,
And do not call upon the Lord?
5There they are in great dread,
For God is with the righteous generation.
6You would put to shame the counsel of the afflicted,
But the LORD is his refuge.

7Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!
When the LORD restores His captive people,
Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad.

The wicked deny the existence of God and in their immorality they commit all kinds of sins (14:1). God searches the hearts of the ungodly (14:2) and finds that they are all wicked (14:3). They prey on the righteous and show Him no reverence (14:4). Yet, they will eventually come to greatly fear the Lord because He sides with the righteous (14:5). Evildoers will try to thwart the plans of the persecuted, but the Lord protects them (14:6). May the salvation of God's children (Israel) come from His Church (Zion) that is supported by the cornerstone of His Son who restored our relationship to the Father as children of God (14:7).

Prayer for Life: Dear Lord, I am surrounded by evil people who deny Your very existence. They have no fear of You as they counsel the destruction of my baby. Yet I know that You protect those in distress who call on You. You are my rock, the cornerstone rejected by the builders, who will sustain me through this difficult time in my life. I sow tears now, but I will reap rejoicing when my child is born. Amen.

Have a blessed day!
John
²⁰The Psalms New International Version. St. Joseph CATHOLIC Edition. New Jersey: Catholic Book Publishing Corporation, 1996. 48. Print.

Scripture (Psalms 1-21) taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Copyright © 2010 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material must be done in its entirety with the copyright notice intact. This book is not for sale, but is offered to the public free of charge in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary and for the glory of God.