Have you ever been stuck in mud?

     I have more times than I would like to admit.  Usually it's because of poor judgment on my part.  Sometimes it's because I've decided to take a chance to save time or driving distance.  I've been stuck with my car, truck, tractors and most recently on my riding lawn mower...going downhill...in the mud.  Embarrassing to say the least.  How does one do that?  For me it's easier than you think.  Murphy follows me around and together things do go wrong.  So, there I was on the mower with my trailer loaded with wind fall branches taking them to the burn pile.  I had overloaded the trailer to save myself time.  Wrong choice.  As I was going through the gate to the back yard the trailer flipped up as if to dump my load.  So, I stopped and tried to get the trailer box back into position and then finish my trip.  That's when I found the mud under me to be a problem.  Yes, I was going downhill and yes, I had put myself in this position, and yes, things were going to get worse.  I managed to use my come a long to pull the trailer box down enough so that it wasn't dragging on the ground.  This resulted in the back wheels of the mower to not have enough weight to grab traction in the mud and there I was; stuck in the mud.  I ended up dumping the load and driving out of the mud.  Now I have a pile of brush to move once more.  I'll probably take two trips to avoid the problem again.  See how getting stuck in the mud happens?  Christians are good at getting stuck in the mud of the world as we will see in this post.
     "I have to much to do and don't have time to pray."  No, you need to pray because you have much to do.  "I don't need to have fellowship with other Christians."  No, you need to have fellowship with other Christians because we are here for each other.  "I'm not a pastor/deacon/? so I'll leave the evangelism and preaching to them."  No, you are a missionary for Jesus and your very life reflects the Gospel.  Or does it?  You see, you've, like me, overloaded your wagon and become stuck in the mud that is this world.  The truth is a pill that some people don't like to swallow.  Maybe that's you.  So, here is the truth.  You either reflect Jesus in your life or you don't.  That's it.  There is no time or space in your life for anything if it's not reflecting Jesus.  Standing by while the "guys" or "gals" talk dirty, share crude jokes, objectify each other?  Looking at the lineup of games or your favorite day or night time addictive show?  Taking time to drink your wine or beer but not to attend to your children?  You see, we construct our own mud that we get stuck in.  There is no excuse for this but it is the way it is.  Showing up for church doesn't mean you are a Christian anymore than going to a firehouse makes you a fire fighter.  Well, some of you might.  You get the point though; you are either living your life for Jesus or you are not.  The book of Revelation says that because we are lukewarm that he will "spew you from his mouth".  You become vomit.  Is that what you really want in your relationship with God?
     That, of course, begs the question of whether you are actually a Christian or not.  Some people seem to think that if they do all the outward signs that they are Christian.  You can talk about all you do and not know Jesus.  There are preachers, televangelists, whole religious organizations that are on a path to hell and they don't care who they take with them.  They are mud.  Mesmerized by their words and seeking to hear what we want to hear; we give away our souls to the devil AND worse yet, we give away the souls of our family, children, spouses, and others who we pass this mud onto.  Just give your money and you can hear from them that you don't need to worry about your sins.  Really?  The decision to live a Christian life is serious and needs to be lived seriously.  If you don't go out to spread the gospel who will?  If you don't teach your children what is right and wrong, who will?  If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything and so will those around you.  How do you know what is right?  Read the Bible.  The question is not what you are doing in the name of Christ, it's have you given your life to Christ.  If the latter, your life will show it.  You'll be that man/woman or child who lives for Christ rather than being stuck in the mud of the world.  In the end, remember that it's always your choice.