Abraham Lincoln was once trying to make a point, but wasn’t having much success. The person he was debating with was unconvinced and extremely stubborn. Lincoln was beginning to become frustrated, so he tried another angle. He said to the person with whom he was trying to reason, “Well, let’s see now. How many legs does a cow have?” The disgusted reply came back, “Four, of course!” Lincoln promptly agreed, “That’s right. Now, suppose you call the cow’s tail a leg. Then how many legs would the cow have?” The opponent replied confidently, “Why, five, of course!” Lincoln came back, now that’s where you are wrong! Calling a cow’s tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg!”

We live in a culture in which, in many various ways, a lot of people are insisting that we suspend any hint of common sense in order to go along with their ridiculous views. In a sense, they are insisting that a cow has five legs.

Let’s look at a few examples. Some people will tell you that abortion is not about protecting human life, but it is really a women’s health issue. One abortion rights protester even held up a sign that read, “Abortion Saves Lives”. How ridiculous! In reality, life obviously begins at conception (Psalm 139) and is worth protecting. If you are on the wrong side of the pro-life issue, your cow has five legs.

Other people are confused about gender distinctions, which leads to any number of ludicrous assertions on their part. In reality, God created human beings male and female (Gen.1:27; Mark 10:6), and he is so adamant about that distinction that he forbids cross-dressing (Deut.22:5), let alone some of the more radical ways that people thumb their noses at God’s teachings about gender roles. If you disagree with what God says about gender, your cow has five legs.

Some say that participation in the local church is optional. For them, it’s fine if that’s what you want to do, but it is not a requirement. The early Christians were devoted to meeting together (Acts 2:42). Do you really think that biblical Christianity has become anything less than it was in the first century? Heb.10:25-31 urges us to not give up meeting together, and immediately warns us of the consequences of forsaking the assembly. If you think that God will allow you to opt out of church, your cow has five legs.

We could go on and on with examples of how people totally disregard the obvious truth. Let’s remember that Jesus is the truth (John 14:6) and that the devil is the father of lies (John 8:44). Let’s also remember that, even in this world where so many people are so terribly confused, you can know the truth, and the truth will set you free (John 8:32). Don’t be confused by Satan’s lies! Live your life based on God’s truth! Don’t have a cow with five legs!