Our actions don’t achieve God’s favor. God’s favor transforms our actions. “Let’s celebrate God! He lavished every blessing heaven has upon us in Christ. Just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world…” Eph 1:3-4.
We don’t earn God’s favor; Jesus has already done that for us. Notice that Ephesians 1:3 – 4 is all in the past tense; therefore, it was not about God waiting for us to behave perfectly enough to pour out favor on us. God’s grace awakens our hearts and motivates us to honor Him with all kinds of extravagant acts of service, but His favor on us is all the result of the gift of our being in Christ. If you have been deceived into believing that you have to earn God’s favor, then you will walk around with a constant sin consciousness that condemns you because you’ve never done it perfect enough. When you’re living under the law like that, there will be moments when you feel really good about yourself and your chances of experiencing God’s favor because you have briefly done all that you think God has required of you. The problem is, the next time you slip up and don’t pray enough, or fast enough, or witness enough, or don’t obey enough, you’ll be convinced that all the ground that you have gained to prove God that you are worthy of blessing will have been lost, and you have to start all over again from square one until you build up enough brownie points with God to be blessed again. What an awful way to live. You have been; let me repeat that; YOU HAVE BEEN blessed with every blessing heaven has, already because Christ does deserve all those blessings, and you are in Him. Remember, all the blessings that are on His life are on your life because He is your life. Colossians 3:4. Therefore, we are motivated to trust His life being lived through us so that we can enjoy all the favor that Jesus walks in. Our part is to trust, not earn.