Kingdom Living Insights – Walking in God’s Favor

Introduction

If you have spent time in Christian circles, you have heard these words many times: grace, favor, blessing, calling. They are used in sermons, worship songs, prayer, and everyday conversation – sometimes interchangeably, as if they all mean the same thing.

They do not.

Each one is distinct. Each one works differently. And one of them, grace, is extended to every human being, while the others operate primarily within the life of a believer. Understanding these differences is not just a matter of theological precision. It changes how you pray, how you read your circumstances, and how you understand what God is doing in your life.

 

Grace: For Everyone

Grace is where we have to begin, because grace is the foundation everything else rests on.

The primary New Testament word for grace is the Greek charis (χάρις), meaning unmerited favor, freely given goodness, and the kindness of God extended toward people who have done nothing to deserve it. In the Old Testament, the closest equivalent is the Hebrew chen (חֵן), which carries the meaning of goodwill, graciousness, and kindness shown by someone in a position of power toward someone who cannot claim it by right.

Both words point to the same reality: grace flows entirely from who God is, not from anything we have done.

What makes grace distinct from the other three is its scope. Grace is extended to all people, not only believers. Jesus said in Matthew 5:45, “For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.” (WEB) This is what theologians call common grace – the goodness God shows to all of humanity simply because He is good. Every person who draws breath, every mind that thinks, every harvest that feeds a family – these are expressions of God’s grace toward a world He made and loves.

There is also saving grace, the grace extended through Jesus Christ that makes salvation possible. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.” (WEB) This grace is offered to everyone, but it is received through faith.

Grace is universal in its offer. No one is outside its reach. But it becomes the ground of a relationship with God only when it is received.

Can grace be earned? No. By definition, earned grace is not grace. The moment it becomes a reward for merit, it ceases to be what the word means. Romans 11:6 makes this explicit: “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.” (WEB) Grace is entirely God’s initiative. Our only role is to receive it.

 

Calling, Blessing, and Favor: For Believers

While grace reaches everyone, calling, blessing, and favor operate primarily within the life of someone who has entered into relationship with God through Christ. They are not withheld from people out of cruelty – they simply belong to the life that grace makes possible. You cannot fully walk in a calling you have not yet been equipped to carry, receive the spiritual blessings already deposited in Christ, or experience the covenant favor of God apart from being in covenant with Him.

This does not mean non-believers never experience anything that resembles blessing or favor in an everyday sense. God’s common grace touches everyone. But the deep, intentional, covenant dimensions of calling, blessing, and favor belong to those who are walking with God.

 

Calling, Blessing, and Favor: What Is the Difference?

Calling

The Greek word most often translated as “calling” is klēsis (κλῆσις), meaning a summons or an invitation, the act of being called to a specific purpose or position. The related word klētos (κλητός) means “called” and is used to describe those who have been specifically invited by God. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew verb qara (קָרָא) means to call out, to summon, or to name, and it carries the sense of God personally addressing someone and directing them toward a purpose.

Calling, then, is God’s purpose for your life. It is the specific assignment He has placed on you – the work He created you to do and the person He is shaping you to become. Calling is directional. It points you toward something. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.” (WEB) Your calling was established before you were born. It does not depend on your readiness. It depends on God’s intention.

Blessing

The primary Hebrew word for blessing is berakah (בְּרָכָה), derived from the verb barak (בָּרַךְ), which means to kneel or to bestow favor. It carries the idea of something good being conferred from one person to another – a tangible impartation of well-being, prosperity, or favor. The Greek equivalent is eulogia (εὐλογία), from which we get the English word “eulogy.” It literally means good words or good speaking – to speak well of someone or to invoke good upon them. When God blesses, He is not simply wishing you well. He is actively imparting good into your life.

Blessing, then, is God’s tangible goodness poured into your life. It can be spiritual, relational, material, or physical. It is often the fruit of walking with God – the overflow of His provision and care. In Deuteronomy 28, God outlines blessings that come to those who walk in His ways. Paul goes further in the New Testament: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,” (Ephesians 1:3, WEB) Blessing is something you experience and receive. It is God’s generosity made visible in your circumstances.

Favor

Here is something worth pausing on. The Hebrew word for favor is chen (חֵן), the same root word used for grace. And in the New Testament, favor is often translated from charis (χάρις) – again, the same word used for grace. This is not a coincidence. It reveals something important: at the deepest level, favor and grace are expressions of the same reality. Favor is grace directed personally toward you in a specific context. It is God’s gracious goodwill focused on your life, your situation, and your path.

Favor is God’s disposition toward you – His goodwill, His kindness, His positive attention resting on your life. If blessing is what you receive, favor is the reason it comes. Favor opens doors. It causes people to receive you well, situations to turn in your direction, and opportunities to appear that you did not arrange yourself.

Think of it this way: your calling is where you are going. Favor is what clears the path. Blessing is what you find along the way. And grace is what makes it all possible in the first place.

They work together, but they are not the same. You can be walking in your calling without yet seeing the blessing, as Joseph’s story shows. You can receive blessing without fully understanding your calling. And favor can be at work in your life even in seasons when things feel hard, because favor is not always loud. It is often quiet – a protection, a redirection, a grace you only recognize looking back.

And here is something else worth noting. The blessings God places on a believer’s life tend to be visible to the people around them. A marriage filled with genuine love, a home marked by peace, children who are grounded and secure, a life that holds together under pressure – people notice these things. They are not just personal gifts. They are a testimony. Jesus said, “Even so, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16, WEB) The world puts its wealth on display but hides its costs. Kingdom blessing works the other way – what others see in your life points them toward God.  

Can Any of These Be Earned?

Can you earn grace? No. As already established, earned charis is no longer charis. It is entirely God’s gift, rooted in His nature, not our merit.

Can you earn your calling? No. Klēsis is not a prize awarded for good behavior or exceptional talent. It is something God determined before you existed. Jeremiah 1:5 says, “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” (WEB) The Hebrew word yada (יָדַע) used here for “knew” means more than awareness. It means intimate, personal knowledge, the kind of knowing that involves deep relationship and intentional choice. God did not simply know about you before you were born. He knew you, chose you, and assigned your purpose. What you can do is respond to it – say yes, prepare yourself, and step into it. But the calling itself is entirely His initiative.

Can you earn blessing? This one requires careful handling. Deuteronomy 28 does connect obedience with berakah. God told Israel that walking in His ways would result in specific blessings in their land, their families, and their work. This can sound like earning – do the right things, receive the good things.

But the broader witness of Scripture reframes this. The blessings of Deuteronomy 28 were covenant promises given to a specific people in a specific context. They were not a transaction. They were relational. God was saying: when you live in alignment with who I am, your life will reflect that. In the New Testament, Paul makes clear that all spiritual eulogia are already ours in Christ – not earned, but given through Him.

So the pattern holds: obedience is not a payment. It is a posture. Living in God’s ways does not purchase blessing – it positions you to receive what is already prepared for you.

Can you earn favor? No. Ephesians 1:6 says God “to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved.” That is, in Jesus Christ. This favor was given before we did anything. It is grounded in grace, not in merit.

However, as with blessing, there is a relational dimension. Proverbs 3:3-4 says, “Don’t let kindness and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor, and good understanding in the sight of God and man.” (WEB) The Hebrew word here for favor is chen, and finding it is connected to cultivating kindness and truth in your heart. Living this way does not earn chen, but it reflects the character of the One who gives it. When your life is oriented toward God, you tend to move in the same direction He is moving, and favor flows in that direction.

The key distinction across all four is this: earning implies a transaction – I give something, I receive something in return. But charis, klēsis, eulogia, and chen are all rooted in God’s nature and His generosity. They are not wages. They are gifts. What we do is not to earn them but to align ourselves with the One who freely gives them.

 

Key Scriptures (WEB)

Matthew 5:45 “For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, that no one would boast.”

Romans 11:6 “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.”

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.”

Ephesians 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,”

Proverbs 3:3-4 “Don’t let kindness and truth forsake you. Bind them around your neck. Write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor, and good understanding in the sight of God and man.”

Genesis 6:8 “But Noah found favor in Yahweh’s eyes.”

Psalm 5:12 “For you will bless the righteous. Yahweh, you will surround him with favor as with a shield.”

Ephesians 1:6 “to the praise of the glory of his grace, by which he freely gave us favor in the Beloved.”

James 1:17 “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation nor turning shadow.”

Psalm 73:3 “For I was envious of the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.”

Proverbs 10:22 “Yahweh’s blessing brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.”

Teaching

Grace in Action: The Foundation

Every story in Scripture that involves calling, blessing, or favor begins with charis, with grace. Before Noah was righteous, God was already gracious. Before Mary was chosen, grace had already reached her. Before Joseph dreamed his dreams, the God of grace had already set His purposes in motion.

Grace is the environment in which everything else grows. Without it, none of the rest would be possible.

 

What About the Prosperity of the Unbeliever?

This is a question worth asking honestly. If grace, favor, and blessing are connected to God and to walking with Him, why do some of the most prideful and ungodly people seem to have everything? Why do unbelievers sometimes accumulate wealth, influence, and success while faithful believers struggle? Is God behind that prosperity or is something else going on?

The short answer is: it depends on the source, and Scripture addresses this directly.

Some of it is common grace.

As we already established, God allows His sun to rise on everyone. He permits certain conditions – intelligence, opportunity, natural talent, favorable timing – to be available to all people regardless of their relationship with Him. An unbeliever can be genuinely gifted, work hard, make wise decisions, and prosper. That capacity comes from God, because all good things ultimately originate with Him. James 1:17 says, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” (WEB)

But this does not mean God is endorsing the person’s character or approving of how they live. Common grace is not the same as covenant favor. God allowing someone to prosper is not the same as God blessing them in the deep, intentional, relational sense Scripture describes.

Some of it is the world system.

Here is something important to understand. The world operates on a set of values that are not God’s values. Ambition, self-promotion, ruthlessness, the willingness to cut corners -these things are often rewarded within a fallen system. The world tends to elevate those who play by its rules.

Paul describes Satan as “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4, WEB), meaning that the present world system operates under his influence. John writes, “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” (1 John 5:19, WEB) This is not just a theological statement. Satan himself confirmed it during the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness.

Matthew 4:8-9 records it this way: “Again, the devil took him to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me.”” (WEB)

Notice what Satan did not say. He did not say he would try to give Jesus these things, or that he might be able to arrange it. He presented them as his to offer. Wealth, kingdoms, glory – all of it on the table. The price was worship.

Jesus refused. But many people, without realizing it, accept a version of that same offer. They build their lives around the values the world rewards – pride, power, self-interest, money – and the world delivers what it promised. What it cannot deliver is what comes after.

So when a prideful person accumulates wealth and everything appears to go well for them, that may not be God’s doing at all. It may be the world rewarding what the world values – a system that has a ruler, and that ruler has a price for everything he gives.

The psalmist wrestled with this too.

You are not the first person to notice this apparent injustice. Asaph, who wrote Psalm 73, was nearly undone by it. He wrote openly: “For I was envious of the arrogant, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” (Psalm 73:3, WEB) He watched the proud live without apparent consequence – healthy, wealthy, and untroubled. He said his feet almost slipped. He almost lost his footing in his faith.

Then he went into the sanctuary of God, and his perspective shifted.

“Until I entered God’s sanctuary, and considered their latter end.” (Psalm 73:17, WEB)

What he saw was this: the prosperity of the wicked is temporary. It exists within time. But time ends. What follows is not more of the same.

He concluded: “Surely you set them in slippery places. You throw them down to destruction.” (Psalm 73:18, WEB) Not because God is vindictive, but because a life built on a foundation that excludes God has no eternal stability.

The contrast that matters.

The prosperity of the unbeliever and the blessing of the believer are not the same thing, even when they look similar from the outside. One is temporary gain within a fallen system, which may or may not involve the enemy’s influence. The other is God’s intentional goodness flowing into a life that is oriented toward Him – with eternal dimensions that go far beyond what is visible now.

Proverbs 10:22 puts it simply: “Yahweh’s blessing brings wealth, and he adds no trouble to it.” (WEB) The blessing of God comes without the hidden costs – the anxiety, the emptiness, the fragility – that often accompany worldly success built on pride.

This does not mean believers will always have more than unbelievers in material terms. There are many faithful believers who live with modest financial means. But look closer at their lives and you will often find something the wealthy unbeliever cannot buy: a marriage built on genuine love and mutual respect that has lasted decades. Children who are grounded, loved, and know who they are. Health that holds. Peace that does not evaporate when circumstances change. A community of people who show up. A sense of purpose that gets stronger with age rather than emptier.

These are not consolation prizes. They are expressions of berakah, the active, imparted goodness of God at work in a life. The world does not know how to produce them, and money cannot guarantee them. Some of the wealthiest people on earth have none of these things.

It means that what believers carry is of a different quality and a different permanence. Kingdom blessing is not just about what you have. It is about what sustains you, what you are building toward, and where you will stand when time runs out.

 

Noah: Favor in a Dark Season

The first time the Bible uses the word chen in connection with a person, it describes Noah.

“But Noah found favor in Yahweh’s eyes.” (Genesis 6:8)

The next verse tells us why: Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. The world around him had gone deeply off course. Noah had not.

This tells us something important. Chen is not about circumstances. Noah was surrounded by corruption, but his heart was toward God. Favor followed that orientation.

It is also worth noting the word “found.” Noah found favor – as if it was already there, waiting for him. He did not manufacture it. He walked with God, and favor was what he encountered along the way.

Mary: Favor as a Calling

When the angel appeared to Mary, he greeted her as someone who had already found charis, favor, with God. She had not yet done anything extraordinary. She had simply lived a life of faithfulness in ordinary circumstances.

Then the favor she carried became the vehicle for something world-changing.

This is how God often works. He does not wait until you are ready for something great before He extends favor. He extends favor, and that favor equips you for what comes next.

Mary’s response is worth noting. She did not boast. She did not take credit. She said, “Behold, the servant of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38, WEB) Favor and humility tend to go together in Scripture.

Joseph: All Four Working Together

Joseph’s story is one of the clearest examples of how grace, calling, blessing, and favor all work together, and how different they can look from the outside.

Joseph received his klēsis (favor) early, through dreams that pointed to a future of great influence. Then his life went in what appeared to be the opposite direction. His brothers sold him into slavery. He served faithfully in Potiphar’s house, was falsely accused, and ended up in prison.

At every stage, Scripture notes that God was with him and that chen (favor) was on him. In Potiphar’s house, his master saw that God made everything he did prosper. In prison, the warden trusted him with responsibility. The favor was real and active even when the circumstances were painful.

His calling eventually became visible when he was brought before Pharaoh. In a single day, the trajectory of his life changed. But the klēsis (favor) had been there from the beginning. Charis (grace) had sustained him throughout. Chen (favor) had been working the whole time. The berakah (blessing) became fully visible when the time was right.

Favor as a Shield

Psalm 5:12 describes chen (favor) as a shield that surrounds the righteous. Favor is not just about receiving blessings, it is about being covered.

When God’s favor is on your life, His attention is on you. His goodwill is working on your behalf even when you cannot see it. There are doors that open, connections that form, and dangers that pass you by – not because of your cleverness or strength, but because favor is surrounding you.

This is not a promise of an easy life. The righteous still face hardship. But they do not face it unprotected.

 

How to Walk in All of This

• Receive grace first. Everything begins with charis (grace). If you have not yet placed your faith in Jesus Christ, the door is open. Grace is already extended to you. Step into it.
• Start with the Gospel. If you are already in Christ, remember that favor, blessing, and calling are already yours in Him. You are not trying to attain something you lack – you are learning to walk in what is already given.
• Walk with God daily. Noah walked with God. Mary served God faithfully. Joseph remained faithful in every environment he was placed in. The common thread among those who walked in chen (favor) is an ongoing relationship, not a single act of devotion.
• Cultivate humility. God gives charis, grace and favor, to the humble. (Proverbs 3:34; 1 Peter 5:5, WEB) Pride closes the hand. Humility keeps it open.
• Live according to His values. Kindness, truth, righteousness – these do not earn what God has already given, but they reflect the character of the One who gives them. When your life looks like His, you tend to move in the same direction He is moving.
• Trust His timing. Klēsis (calling), chen (favor), and eulogia (blessing) do not always appear on our schedule. Joseph carried God’s favor into a pit, into slavery, and into a prison before it became visible to the world. Favor was on him the whole time.

 

Reflection Questions

1. Before reading this, did you think of grace, calling, blessing, and favor as the same thing? Now that you understand the distinct meaning behind each word – charis (grace), klēsis (calling), eulogia (blessing), and chen (favor) – how does that change how you see your own life and where you are right now?
2. Have you ever struggled, like Asaph in Psalm 73, with watching ungodly people prosper? How does understanding the difference between worldly success and Kingdom blessing change how you see that?
3. Have you been trying to earn God’s favor or blessing through your efforts? What would it look like to shift from striving to aligning – positioning yourself in relationship with God rather than performing for His approval?
4. Joseph experienced klēsis (calling), chen (favor), and hardship all at the same time. Is there a season in your life, past or present, where God’s favor may have been at work even though circumstances were difficult?
5. Grace (charis) is extended to all people, but calling, blessing, and favor belong to those walking with God. Is there someone in your life who has not yet received the grace God is offering them? How does knowing that grace reaches everyone shape how you pray for them?

 

Closing Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You that Your grace reaches everyone – that no one is beyond its reach. Thank You that through Jesus Christ, I have access not only to grace but to calling, blessing, and favor. I cannot earn any of these things. They are gifts rooted in Your goodness, not my merit. When I look around and see the proud prosper, keep my eyes on You. Remind me that what You have for me is of a different quality and a different permanence than anything this world can offer. Teach me to walk in what You have already given. Where I have been striving, help me to rest. Where I have been confused about where I am going, clarify the calling You placed on my life before I was born. Surround me with Your favor as with a shield, and let my life be a reflection of Your grace at work. In Jesus’ name. Amen.