No Shake Needed

There seems to be a lot of hand shaking going on in our society or late. This is in spite of the germs that are traveling from person to person. Never had that problem when I was a kid. At church they have this thing of passing the peace. Some people are saying, yes pass the peace but keep the germs to themselves.
If you watch those fellows on tv that go around picking other peoples junk, they seem to shake hands after every agreement on price. Now I understand that. After rummaging around in all that junk, every ones hands are dirty so what’s the problem? That takes care of the American and Canadian Pickers. The Pawn Stars and the Pawn Masters all do it. What’s with that? There was a time in our history that the handshake could be one of two things. First it was a greeting. “A pleasure to meet you.” The second was for an agreement. I wrote about this a few years ago. You make a deal and all that it took to seal the deal was a handshake. As I said back then, a person was as good as his word and maybe that is what these people are trying to resurrect.
But our society is full of other hand shakers. You will notice some of them on other tv programs. Like the show with the tribes of castaways. They go to some remote place and make deal after deal. Shake hands with every other one they can and in the end you realize their word is not worth much when the dollar signs glaze over their eyes and I must say, their hearts.
In I Samuel 12, Samuel is old and about to die. He doesn’t mention a hand shake. He just asks one simple question, in a number of ways. He says something like this, “Have I ever cheated . . . ” To that I want to say, he didn’t need a handshake and neither do I. My life and I pray your life is a living breathing demonstration of honesty and integrity that stands on its own. An honesty that comes from the word of God as it guides us though your lives and creates in us a pure heart. Psalm 51:10 “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.”
So let me ask. Do you need a handshake, or a signed document, or a contract? Or does the living of your life demonstrate an uncompromising honest life? If it does, then God will get the glory.
Something to think about
Rob