23/03/2026
SUNDAY SERVICE WITH PASTOR LEWIS
Topic: UNDERSTANDING FAVOUR
Favour is an act of kindness, approval or partiality towards someone. It means being singled out for good. Favour can also be defined as God causing things to work to your advantage.
When one is favoured, there are things that are done to demonstrate the favour. For instance, receiving good, unique treatment among many people.
Most people fail to differentiate between favour and grace. A clear distinction is that grace is unmerited while favour is merited. Mankind received grace while still in sin and undeserving; this is grace. Favour, on the other hand, requires one to do something to deserve it.
Favour is not a substitute for hard work. You have to qualify first before you start thinking of being favoured. What favour does is that it simply pronounces your works so that they are noticed among many.
The following are examples where individuals in the bible were favoured after they qualified: Mary, the mother of Jesus, was favoured among virgins and not among all women. There was a prerequisite of being a virgin. Only then, favour picked her out among that group. Joseph, the son of Jacob, was a diligent and responsible young man. He was favoured among the diligent men of his time.
Apostle Paul received the grace of God. Later on, Paul went out and laboured more abundantly than the others. Favour amplified his effort such that the gospel spread rapidly. Again, you have to be doing something before you start thinking of being favoured.
The bible says "faith without works is dead." Favour is not the sponsor of laziness. Rather, it is the amplifier of diligent effort. Do not expect to outperform non-believers when you are lazy. Be a hardworker just like successful non-believers are. Only then will favour transcend your efforts.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES
Luke 1:6; Hebrews 4:16; James 2:20; 1 Corinthians 15:10; Genesis 39:4-6.
