Patti Richter On Faith | This One Thing: Five Minutes of Obedience

ROCKWALL, TX (Nov. 2, 2026) I was dropping off donations at a local charity when a woman and a boy emerged from the building. The child was wearing a spiderman costume and a big smile. Once inside I saw a rack of superhero costumes, “just donated,” the director said.

Both children and adults, me included, would love the ability to perform amazing feats against evildoers. Besides my childhood desire to fly (without a plane), my fantasies of recent years have included the supernatural power to free hostages and track down kidnappers and scammers.

Usually though, we’re busy trying to rescue ourselves. According to our daily video feed, no special suit is required. Instead, we’ll need to do only one exercise to ease our back, knee, or foot pain, make one dietary change to lose 50 pounds, and take just one supplement to restore our vigor. (Purchase now for lowest price ever!) We should have super bodies by following their suggestions.

Some of that advice, though overstated, actually might help. And this makes me think of times that heeding just one biblical admonition has been transformative. Taking God’s Word seriously brings a real change in me, the kind that influences my family and others around me.

The early 20^th-century Bible teacher Oswald Chambers once said in a sermon, * “There is only one golden rule for spiritual discernment, and that is obedience. We learn more by five minutes’ obedience than by ten years’ study.”

I’ve long admired the amazing power of five minutes. This simple amount of time has worked well for me in practical, daily duties that I prefer to put off, such as certain household chores or making medical appointments. Just five minutes of attention to an unpleasant task empowers me to achieve the desired checkmark—done.

Spiritual life also presents us with regular and necessary challenges to deal with issues we’d rather ignore. If there’s a Christianity 101 course, the description might state: Student will learn to put God above family, friends and life goals, and surrender the right to self and possessions.

This is mostly a one-on-one class with the Teacher. The Bible is required reading and Jesus expects us to “continue” in it (John 8:31). He supplies his Spirit to assist us with personal problem-solving related to the heart and mind. Assignments and tests are focused on our obedience to his commands, such as: “Let your light shine before others” (But I’ll lose old friends!); “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (But they’re so bad!); “Forgive others their trespasses” (But she’s not even sorry!) **

As a new believer, I avoided a long-time friend before finally telling her that I had joined a Bible study and received Jesus as my Savior. Our entire conversation was completed in five minutes, because my little testimony was met with disinterested silence.

Indeed, obedience to God’s word can bring us sorrow—over losing that person, plan, or attitude we were clinging to. But afterward, God himself will confirm and strengthen us (1 Peter 5:10).

Oswald Chambers went on to explain that salvation itself is a supernatural event, and we share in Christ’s divine nature by obedience. The Holy Spirit “chases us into a corner by touching every point where we have not been obeying.” *

We are not superheroes, but the One who is above all powers supplies us with his armor (Ephesians 6:11). If the armor seems heavy at first, we can start by wearing it for five minutes.

*The Psychology of Redemption (1930), pp. 15, 87; **Matthew 5:16, 44; 6:14; ESV Bible

*ESV

Faith Columnist Patti Richter writes and edits Christian faith articles and has co-authored Signs of His Presence: Experiencing God’s Comfort in Times of Suffering.
Read more of her essays at BlueRibbonNews.com.

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