LEVEL 1

MODULE 3
THE POWER WITHIN ME
AS A SERVANT

1.1.3 16

THE GIFT OF
OBEDIENCE
THROUGH SINGLE-
MINDEDNESS
FOR GOD

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Two men on the road to Emmaus.
Lk 24:13ff.
 
v.21 Disappointed & have given up
because of wrong expectations
 
On the positive side, they went back
to the disciples after breaking bread
with Jesus.

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Examine our reasons for following Jesus.

• The wrong reason can easily lead us to

change course. Jn 6:26‑27, 66‑69.

• John the Baptist condemns superficial and

opportunistic "repentance". Mt 3:7‑10.

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We need to examine our reasons for
following Jesus. 
• Christianity  problem‑solver.
 When problem not resolved:
Disappointment.
 Problem is resolved: Turn away from
Jesus … no need for Him anymore.
 Inability to accept Jesus' hard teachings.

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NEED: Purify your intention:
 
Proper attitude: Phil 3:8. Everything else
is garbage compared to gaining Christ.
 
Be single-minded for God - HOW?
• Vision is clear
• Know the place of Jesus in our life
• Right relationship with him, and
• We know where we are going.

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 How can we be
single-minded for God?

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 1. "Burn your boats."

Anecdote: A beleaguered army – must decide -

flee out to the sea in their boats or to stand and
face the advancing enemy. They boats burned,
thus eliminating the choice.
 
Practical application: Many of us commits to
the Lord, but we keep our boats in reserve,
leaving an option to return to the world.

In our new life, there is no turning back.

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 2. Learn to persevere and be patient.

Prepare for the long haul. Moving on in the

Christian life is the task of a lifetime.

Some Scripture passages.

 
Heb 6:11‑12. Sometimes one starts off very
zealous in the Christian life, then grows lazy and
takes things for granted. But we are to show
the "same zeal till the end” until we reap the
harvest.
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 2. Learn to persevere and be patient.
Prepare for the long haul. Moving on in the Christian
life is the task of a lifetime.
2 Thes 3:13. Sometimes doing good can be tiring. But
we just need to continue doing what is right.
Phil 3:16. Whatever spiritual state or level we are in,
we are to go on. We can never be fully mature.
There's always more that the Lord wants for us.
Gal 6:9. Some come into a life in the Lord, then get
tired and finally turn back to their old ways. We need
to persevere, knowing what awaits us.

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 2. Learn to persevere and be patient.

Prepare for the long haul. Moving on in the

1 Cor 15:58. Sometimes the problem is that we

do not see the fruit of righteous living.
Righteous living might even seem like such a
burden. But the fruit is there. God is pleased.
We will reap the harvest.

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3. "Take up your cross and follow me".
 
• Jesus did not promise that if we followed
him there would be no more problems.

• In fact, the Christian life is a life of

embracing and loving the cross of Christ.

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 How can we grow in
single-mindedness for God?

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 1. Set a goal in personal virtue. 
Growing in singlemindedness for God is
connected with righteous living. Thus we
need to acquire desirable virtues..

2. Without personal virtues, we cannot be

singleminded for God. There will always be
some distractions that are too attractive.

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PERSONAL VITUES
Steadfastness. Tobit 4:5‑6.
Humility. Phil 2:3‑4.
Obedience. Jesus' example.
Courage.
Kindness. The example of Mother Teresa. "Love begins
at home, it is not how much we do but how much love
we put in the action that we do. To God Almighty, how
much we do does not matter, but how much love we
put in that action. How much we do to him in the
person we are serving. And let us all meet each other
with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love. Let
us keep that joy of loving Jesus in our hearts and share
that joy with all that we come in touch with"
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PERSONAL Kindness. The example of Mother
VITUES Teresa. "Love begins at home, it is
not how much we do but how much
love we put in the action that we do.
Steadfastness. To God Almighty, how much we do
Tobit 4:5‑6. does not matter, but how much love
Humility. we put in that action. How much we
Phil 2:3‑4 do to him in the person we are
Obedience. serving. And let us all meet each
Jesus' example other with a smile, for the smile is
Courage. the beginning of love. Let us keep
that joy of loving Jesus in our hearts
and share that joy with all that we
come in touch with" 15
 3. Seek to suffer a little every
day for God. There are many opportunities
that present themselves:

• Denying ourselves too much of the pleasures

of life.

• Forbearing in relationship difficulties.

• Putting off more sleep in favor of more prayer;

or skipping a meal in order to fast; etc. These
help us to focus less on ourselves and more on
God. 16
 4. Detach yourself from your human
desires and plans. God has the best plan
for our lives.
 
Jer 29:11. We need to let go of our
preconceived notions of what is best for us.
We need to approach the Lord without any
pre-set agenda.

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 5. Proper attitude:
Seek consolation only from God.

• Everyone else may fail us, but God never will.

• In the midst of difficulty, especially from those

closest to us.

• Even when we cannot see beyond the

difficulty of the moment.
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Mt 11:28‑30. Pray for God's will to be
done in your life.
 
God delights in such prayers, and will
grant them. Have faith that our Father
knows best.
 
Even when we cannot see beyond the
difficulty of the moment.

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 Conclusion
 
God calls us:
• to personal holiness
• to serve Him with dedication and
commitment.
 
We can move on in these areas as we
continue to focus on the Lord and
on our life and mission in
Him.

Let us be sin­gle-minded for God. 20

 LEARNING & DOING JOURNAL: 
LEARNING POINTS:
List down the learning-points for you in this session.
In the scale of 1-10, compare your degree of OBEDIENCE to the
kind of obedience you learned from this session?
 
RESOLVE: To become a better servant of the Lord, how would
you apply to yourself these learning-points?
 
OVERCOMING OBSTACLES: What obstacle/s in your life that
hinders you from becoming a more obedient servant of the
Lord? What would you do to overcome these obstacles?
 
GROWTH: As you try to exercise these learning-points in the
next 30 days, in the scale of 1-10, rate your improvement in the
area of OBEDIENCE. Please share this in our next session.
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