Grace From Galatians (12 Of 19)

As we have seen, Paul does not understand why these backsliding Galatian Christians wanted to return to the bondage of the law.

In this appeal, he seems to appeal to their common sense, something that many in this country seem to have lost.

Illus: I saw this sad announcement and thought about many in this country, it reads like this: “Today we mourn the passing of an old friend, Common Sense. Common Sense lived a long life, but died in the United States from heart failure early in the new millennium. No one really knows how old he was, since his birth records were lost long ago in bureaucratic red tape.”

“He selflessly devoted his life to service in schools, hospitals, homes, and factories, helping folks get jobs done without fanfare and foolishness. For decades, petty rules, silly laws, and frivolous lawsuits held no power over Common Sense. He was credited with cultivating such valued lessons as to know when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, and that life isn't always fair.”

“Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adults are in charge, not the kids), and it's okay to come in second.”

“A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, and the Technological Revolution, Common Sense survived cultural and educational trends including body piercing, whole language, and ‘new math.’"

“In recent decades his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of well-intentioned but overbearing regulations. He watched in pain as good people became ruled by self-seeking lawyers.”

“His health rapidly deteriorated when schools endlessly implemented zero tolerance policies. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate, a teen suspended for taking a swig of mouthwash after lunch, and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student only worsened his condition. It declined even further when schools had to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student but could not inform the parent when a female student was pregnant or wanted an abortion.”

“Common Sense lost his will to live when churches became businesses and social clubs, criminals received better treatment than victims, and federal judges stuck their noses in everything from the Boy Scouts to professional sports.”

“When an individual too stupid to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot was awarded a huge settlement, Common Sense threw in the towel.”

“Common Sense finally succumbed when, while the United States was fighting a war on terrorism, a federal judge declared the Pledge of Allegiance to be unconstitutional.”

“Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by two step-siblings: My Rights, and Ima Whiner.”

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.

Listen, when COMMON SENSE disappears, you have chaos and confusion and that is exactly why we have chaos and confusion in the society in which we live.

Illus: Someone posed these problems, but if you had COMMON SENSE these problems would not exist.

• Why do you press harder on a remote-control when you know the battery is dead?

• Since Americans throw rice at weddings, do Asians throw hamburgers?

• Why are they called buildings, when they're already finished? Shouldn't they be called “builts”?

• When a man talks dirty to a woman on the telephone, its sexual harassment. When a woman talks dirty to a man on the telephone, it is going to cost the man $2.95 per minute.

• Why are they called apartments, when they're all stuck together?

• Why is a carrot more orange than an orange?

• If olive oil comes from olives, where does baby oil comes from?

• If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot them?

• How come Superman could stop bullets with his chest, but always ducked when someone threw a gun at him?

• Why is it lemon juice contains mostly artificial ingredients, but dish washing liquid contains real lemon?

• Why do we wash bath towels? Aren't we clean when we use them?

• Do married people live longer than single people, or does it just SEEM longer?

• If all those psychics know the winning lottery numbers, why are they all still working?

• Why is it no one has ever complained that their parachute did not open?

Common sense can solve many problems, but any time COMMON SENSE is not in existence, we are in trouble.

These Galatian Christians were in trouble because spiritually they had lost all of their common sense. They wanted to return to the very thing that brought them into bondage. But in this common sense approach that Paul is using, he tells them-