Reading your Bible for today October 31

October 31: Romans 9:14-18

KJV Key Verse: Romans 9:16
16 So then it is not of him that willeth , nor of him that runneth , but of God that sheweth mercy .

Devotion:
Have you ever received a gift which you truly did not think you deserved? Or maybe things were the other way round and you expected to get something and did not receive it. That is the thing about God's mercy, we have no control over how and when He shows His mercy. It is not up to us when God will show His mercy, and we certainly cannot force Him into anything by doing anything!

Or, to put it another way, our self-will has nothing to do with God showing His mercy! The more that you dig into this truth, the more you will become aware that God is actually in control of everything and we are simply here to receive His mercy.

Why? Because He loves us so. God is willing to show us mercy when we don't think we deserve it. God is willing to help us out when we are sure we do not deserve any help. God is willing to go that extra mile for us when we are quite sure everyone should be ignoring us. But don't count on anything happening if you ignore God or walk away from His help. God's mercy extends to us so long as we continue to acknowledge His as our Creator and give Him all the honour and glory He deserves. That is where we all tend to fall short!

Just like Pharaoh's heart was hardened when Moses went to inform him God had declared the Children of Israel must be released, our hearts can often be hardened when things do not go the way we want them to. When things do go someone else's way, we often become hostile towards them and forget about our basic commandments, never mind the harder things in life.

Points to Ponder:
What do you do when you do not get your own way?

How do you think God feels when we do not follow His will?