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Finding true satisfaction in Jesus often feels like a puzzle we are trying to solve with missing pieces. We spend our lives grabbing for things, approval, success, or a sense of worth, hoping that if we just hold on tight enough, we will finally feel secure. However, the Gospel tells a different story. In this fifth installment of our DNA of Grace series, we are exploring the reality that faith is not a work we perform to get God’s attention. Instead, faith is simply the open hand that receives what He has already provided.
Why Is It So Hard to Stop Striving?
Most of us were raised in a world that rewards the "hustle." We are taught that if we want something, we have to go out and grab it. Consequently, we bring that same "grabbing" mentality into our relationship with God. We try to grab His favor through our morning devotions. We try to grab His blessing through our ministry performance. Meanwhile, our souls grow weary because we treat grace like a wage rather than a gift.
Austin Gardner has spent over 50 years in ministry, and if there is one thing he has learned through missionary work in Peru and surviving Stage 4 Kidney Cancer, it is this: you cannot grab your way into peace. When you are lying in a hospital bed, your hands are forced open. You realize that all the striving in the world cannot add a single day to your life or a single ounce of favor to your account.
Specifically, we have to recognize that religious performance is just a "closed fist." When your hands are clenched tight around your own efforts, you have no room to receive the abundance of mercy God is holding out to you.
The Great Exchange: What You Give vs. What You Get
The heart of the New Covenant is what theologians often call the "Great Exchange." It is the most unfair trade in history, and it is the foundation of the DNA of Grace.
What you give: Your sin, your failures, your "filthy rags" of righteousness, and your exhaustion.
What you get: His perfect standing, His life, His peace, and His finished work.
Therefore, faith is the mechanism of this exchange. It isn't the "currency" that buys the blessing; it is simply the hand that takes the gift. For example, if I offer you a gift, you don't have to pay for it, but you do have to open your hand to take it. If your hand is busy grabbing for something else, the gift remains on the table.
Romans 4:5 “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
This verse is a direct hit to our "performance" mindset. It tells us that the one who stops working and simply believes is the one who receives the righteousness of Christ. This is the essence of finding satisfaction in Jesus. You stop trying to be the source of your own goodness and start resting in His.
Faith Is Not a Work
There is a common misconception in many churches that faith is a "work" we must do to trigger God’s response. We think, "If I just have enough faith, then God will love me or heal me." However, this turns faith into just another form of legalism. It puts the pressure back on you.
In reality, faith is the realization that you have nothing to offer and Jesus has everything. It is a Big Leap of Faith to believe that God loves you exactly as you are, without you having to "grab" for that love.
As the Followed by Mercy quote bank reminds us:
“Rest doesn't come after you fix yourself. Rest comes first.”
When you stop trying to fix yourself to earn God’s favor, your hands finally open. That is where the power of the Holy Spirit begins to move. You aren't being graded on the "strength" of your faith; you are being held by the strength of the One you have faith in.
The Power of an Open Hand
What does it look like to live with an open hand? It means you stop being defensive when you are criticized or "canceled" by others. If your identity is a gift you received from God, and not something you "grabbed" for yourself, then no one on earth can take it away from you.
Austin Gardner has seen how this transforms ministry leaders. When a leader is satisfied in Jesus, they stop using people to build their own kingdom. They stop grabbing for "numbers" to prove their worth. Instead, they lead from a place of overflow.
Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”
Notice the phrasing: "not of yourselves." Even the ability to open your hand is a gift. Consequently, there is no room for boasting. There is only room for gratitude.
How Satisfaction in Jesus Changes Your Daily Life
When you find your primary satisfaction in Jesus, the "hustle" of life changes. You still work hard, and you still serve others, but you do it from a place of rest rather than a place of panic.
You stop carrying the corpse: You stop trying to drag your old, religious, performance-based self into your new life of grace. Stop carrying the corpse and start walking in the newness of life.
You handle failure differently: Instead of hiding your mess, you bring it to the Light. You know that mercy is not trailing behind you with conditions; it is running toward you with intention.
Your relationships improve: When you aren't grabbing for approval from people, you are finally free to love them. Loved people become loving people.
Moving From Striving to Receiving
If you feel like you are at the end of your rope today, that is actually a great place to be. It is hard to have an open hand when you are still holding onto the idea that you can save yourself.
Meanwhile, God is inviting you to a different way of living. He isn't asking you to climb a ladder to reach Him. He has already come down the ladder to reach you. Your job is not to grab; your job is to receive.
“The Christian life was never meant to be powered by fear, pressure, or performance. It was meant to be lived from being loved first.” , Austin Gardner
Are You Ready to Let Go?
This is Part 5 of our DNA of Grace series. If you missed the earlier parts, I encourage you to go back and read how your identity is formed not by your behavior, but by your union with Christ.
Stop grabbing for what has already been given. Open your hands today and let His mercy cover the mess. You are not behind. You are not being graded. You are being held.
FAQ: Understanding Faith as Receiving
Is faith a "work" that I have to do to get God to move?
No, faith is not a work; it is the absence of work. It is simply the "open hand" that accepts what Jesus has already finished on the cross. If faith were a work, we would have something to boast about, but the Gospel excludes all boasting.
What if I don't feel "satisfied in Jesus" right now?
Satisfaction is often a byproduct of where we look. If you are looking at your own performance or the approval of others, you will always feel empty. True satisfaction comes as we consistently look at the finished work of Christ and realize that we are already fully loved and accepted.
How do I practically "open my hand" to grace?
It starts with an honest admission: "Lord, I can't do this, and I stop trying to earn Your favor." It means resting in the truth of Scripture rather than the intensity of your feelings. You practice receiving by reminding yourself of your identity in Christ each day before you start your "to-do" list.
Want more grace-centered teaching?
Listen to the Followed by Mercy Podcast
Subscribe on YouTube @waustingardner
Check out the Resource Library: 50 Years of Grace Leadership
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