In Colossians 2:6-7, Paul instructs us "As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him…"

We received Jesus Christ in the past.

We walk in Him in the present and continue to do so in the future.

We are deeply rooted in Him, internally, including our thoughts and feelings, so that they honor Christ.

We are built up in Him so that our visible, external actions reflect Jesus Christ.

Every facet of our being, and our very existence is a testimony to our Lord.

In 1 Kings 18, there is that tremendous story about Elijah and the prophets of Baal. God answers His lone prophet by fire, dramatically proving Himself strong and mighty on behalf of His people. Tucked in that story is a detail worth noticing.

Right before Elijah prayed, he directed some of those standing by to fill four pots with water and pour it over the altar and the sacrifice. Then he had them do it again. Then a third time. There could be no doubt when the fire came that it was a miraculous, divine reply.

But here's the thing. There was a famine going on. There had been no rain for three YEARS. That water poured out on the altar and sacrifice was a precious treasure, to be held back and guarded.

Pouring out the water had to come before the fire fell.
Pour out your hope for the future, your security, your ability to take care of things on your own. Pour it all out. I know there's a famine. Pour it out anyway. Take what's precious to you. Take what seems wiser to keep. Take what doesn't make sense. Pour it out. Every last drop. Then watch and see if I'm not God alone, the God who hears and answers.

Sometimes the fire doesn't fall in our lives, at our requests, because God is waiting for us to complete that last step. What is God asking us to pour out on the altar?

One day last week, on a date with my husband, I saw the new A-Team movie. Maybe you remember the television series. What struck me was the movie's tagline: "There is no plan B"

Times are desperate. The pressure's on. There's no turning back.

"Go into all the world and preach the gospel …"

There is no plan B.

It sounds crazy, but the only plan God has for spreading the gospel depends on people like me and you. There won't be any talking cactus, or messages in the sky or secret codes. It all rests with us. God does the prep work and the Holy Spirit draws folks, but a seed can't sprout unless it's planted. We are the planters.

Times are desperate. The pressure's on. There's no turning back.

In reaching our friends and family for Christ, there is no plan B.

A week ago, we were hiking in Arches National Park. It's beautiful place, with miles and miles of sandstone formations sculpted by years of wind and rain. We didn't experience any rain, but we did get stung by the blowing sand. The rain comes in seasonal downpours and radically changes the landscape.

Here's a quick analogy:

• God sculpts and shapes us to be more and more like Christ.
• It's a long, ongoing process.
• To us, it may seem random and without a purpose but He has a plan.
• Sometimes it really stings. (Sometimes others get stung while He works on us.)
• In the right season, downpours come and reorder our lives.
• The results are a beautiful testimony to God's care and attention.

Unlike the sandstone, we have the ability to resist God's work in our lives. We rebel, and interfere, hindering the process, making it take even longer. Thankfully God keeps at it, determined to finish the job, just as He promised. (He who has begun a good work in you will complete it… Phil 1:6)

I realize today's photo is not a great one. The lighting is all wrong, and the composition is probably lacking as well. It's just a snapshot from vacation. At the time I snapped it, I didn't realize what I had captured. That triangle-shaped, dark green patch in the top left of the picture… that's a group of Douglas fir trees.

Somehow, on the side of a canyon, this little community scratched out a niche for itself and thrives against all odds.

The seeds grew where they landed.

They didn't complain to God that He'd obviously made a mistake, since everyone knows fir trees don't belong on the wall of a dry Utah canyon.

They didn't worry about the lack of deep soil.

They didn't wonder where the water was going to come from.

They weren't afraid of the constant wind whipping around them.

And they have become a testimony of God's care and provision even in the most hostile, unlikely circumstances and environments.

Too often, I expect life to be like a hothouse orchid's, with every detail of my existence careful monitored and optimized. I'd rather not believe God is calling me to be a fir tree in a dry canyon. Orchids are beautiful, fragrant, attention-grabbing. But they don't last long. The fir tree life is tough. Survival requires a total dependence on things outside my control. Everyone focuses on the canyon. Few people notice the trees. But the trees last for a long time. And rather than just robbing resources, they impact their environment.

Not a bad testimony.