A Firm Handshake

When I was young my dad told me that men (and even women) should have a firm handshake. What is meant by a firm grip or handshake? Well a firm handshake was an expression about yourself. It meant you were truthful, it meant you could be counted as trustworthy, it meant that any promises made by you were guaranteed, it meant you were firm in what you said and not “wishy washy” or indecisive, and it meant your opinion didn’t change from person to person or from group to group like a boat tossed upon the ocean during a storm. You were firm in mind, word, and action. You could be counted on.

A limp, weak handshake would, of course, indicate the opposite: a person that is not firm in their thoughts or actions, a person that is wishy washy or indecisive, and one who could not be counted on as truthful or trustworthy or firm, and one who’s thoughts and opinions change depending upon the audience or circumstance.

Christianity should be like a firm handshake. God tells us to study His Word and His Word is Truth (John 17:17). God tells us to stand firm in our knowledge of the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:15) to hold tight to the truth, to not waver from belief to belief, thought to thought, or be tossed to and fro with every different kind of teaching (Ephesians 4:14-15). There are not multiple thoughts, multiple paths, or gray areas in the Word of God. We are not to remain babes or beginners with the Word. We are to study it, to meditate on it, to know it, and always be prepared to give an answer. Now, more than ever, Christians need to remember to have a firm grip on the Word of God.

 15 So then, brothers and sisters, stand firm and hold fast to the teachings we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. 2 Thessalonians 2:15

 14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. Ephesians 4:14-15

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.  John 17:17