Spiritual Advantage with Sam Stone

There is an Indian parable that is quite thought-provoking. It’s about a prostitute living across the street from a small monastery occupied by a monk. They can see each other from a distance through their windows.
The monk meditates and prays daily. But, through his window, he frequently sees men entering and leaving her house across the street. He says in his head, “What an adulterous woman! She will burn in hell for her sins.”
Every now and then, the prostitute looks through her window, sees the meditating monk, and thinks with admiration, “Heaven bless him! I wish I could meditate and pray day and night like him in my next life. May he be bless forever.”
One day, both of them die and end up at the gate of paradise. The angel ushers the woman in but does not let the monk enter. The monk asks, “You must have got it wrong. That woman is a sinner, but I am a monk.”
The angel replies, “Yes, I know who you are. The problem is when you meditated, you cursed the woman across the street. But, when she saw you through her window, she sent her blessings to you.” Now, her blessings return to her, and your curses return to you. (End of story.)
I am sure we all know that this parable is not to justify prostitution but to awaken the listener to be careful about their inner conduct because appearance can be deceiving. As the saying goes, “Don’t judge the book by its cover.”
The question is, how can we improve our ability to see through the cover? The answer is “empathy.” Empathy is often misunderstood because it’s a nebulous cognition. According to scientists, there are four types of empathy: cognitive empathy, affective empathy, somatic empathy, and spiritual empathy.
Another problem is that those who don’t have empathy cannot make sense of it. Even if you have it, you could lose it due to some life changes. Some people lose empathy due to a traumatic experience, some become too wealthy and lose empathy, and some rise to a high social status and lose empathy with commoners.
For example, in the story, the monk loses his empathy because he is of honorable status. He thinks he holds the moral high ground and gains the right to judge those of the lower class.
In the Bible, we see similar conditions among the Pharisees and scribes who had lost their empathy for the prostitutes, tax collectors, cripples, and other so-called sinners. The brother of the Prodigal Son cannot empathize with his younger brother because of his moral high ground.
The Greek word “σπλαγχνίζομαι” (splagchnizomai) is often translated as “compassion” or “mercy” because there is no equivalent English word for it. After some reseach, I discovered “empathy” a more precise translation. That open our mind’s eye to understand Jesus and his teaching more profoundly.
Over and over again, Jesus warned the religious elites about their lack of empathy. In recent weeks, we have covered several parables of Jesus warning us of the danger of apathy. Apathy is the opposite of empathy. Most importantly, the lack of empathy could lock us out of heaven.
Money and wealth can also make us lose our empathy. In today’s scripture lesson, Jesus tells the “Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus.” Many people get confused by this parable because the rich man did nothing wrong but ended up in Hades, or hell. The context reveals why he was in hell: apathy.
Based on this story, it’s vital to rejuvenate our empathy, exercise it, and grow it like a spiritual muscle. Having empathy will keep your heart warm and happy. You will win friends and influence people. Most importantly, you will become Christlike because Jesus came on earth to show us the empathy of God.
Empathy will be like a set of wings, allowing you to fly like an eagle in the sky instead of running like a turkey on the ground. No offense to the turkeys; we need them for Thanksgiving. Let’s begin!

A native American village has a tradition of sending young adults, at about twenty years old, out to the world to fulfill their vocation and return to the village to retire when they are old, maybe around sixty. Every spring, a new batch of energetic young villagers gather at the chief’s tent and receive his blessing to enter the world to make their dreams come true.
The chief gives them a piece of paper and asks them to hang it on the wall wherever they go. The young people will go to the towns and cities based on their interests and ambition. They unfold the paper and hang it on the wall. It has only two words, “Fear Not!”
The young people take their chief’s advice and bravely pursue their dreams. They have successes and failures and learn their lessons. Some make a lot of money, and some don’t. However, as instructed, they all return to their home village to retire when they are old.
Soon after they arrive at their village, they visit the chief to receive his instruction for their next phase of life. The chief gives them another piece of paper to hang on their wall. It also has two words, “Regret Not!” (End of Story.)
The moral of the story is that, when we are young, our biggest obstacle is fear. That’s why the chief reminds the young people to “Fear Not!”
However, life is complicated! When we get old, many people regret the mistakes they have made and the risk they failed to take. Consciously or unconsciously, they spend the rest of their life guilt-ridden. Since we can’t change the past, the chief charges them with two words, “Regret Not!”
The problem is, how do you regret not? It’s easier said than done. You cannot just sweep your guilts under the rug as if they had never happened. Psychologists say that suppressed memories can harm your mental and emotional health. We cannot just brush off the past.
As I am approaching sixty, sometimes I review my life and ask myself to see if I have any regret about my life. Of course, like everyone, I have done many regretful things. “To err is human!” and I am human. The good news is, as Christians, we are forgiven people, and we can live a genuine “Regret Not” life without having to sweep our guilts under the rug because Jesus has paid the price for us on the cross.
I also enjoy seeing many people among Christians who have “peace like a river, love like an ocean, and joy like a fountain.” They live a “Regret Not” life without getting haunted by their past.
In fact, if I were the chief, I would not give two pieces of paper to them but just one piece. I would give them all “Regret Not!” from the beginning because it will stimulate more profound wisdom and lift them to a higher level of consciousness. They will make better decisions.
Jesus reveals to us that our “Regret Not” life is enriched by the friends we make, particularly eternal friends—literally best friends forever. In today’s scripture lesson, Jesus shows us two ways to recover from regret—the way of the “children of this age” and the way of the “children of light.”
Children of this age make transactional friends, but children of light make transformational friends. Jesus wants us to make transformational friends that will last for eternity. They will be your true BFFs—Best Friends Forever. So, let’s begin.

If you love Chinse food, you must know a popular dish called “Dongopo Rou,” or “Dongpo Meat.” It’s a sweet, savory, flavorful, and delicious dish named after its inventor Su Dongpo. Su Dongpo was the Benjamin Franklin of 11th Century China during Song Dynasty. Like Franklin, he was multitalented. He had many inventions and was a statesman, poet, chemist, and military strategist.
Due to his popularity as a statesman, Su Dongpo was exiled several times by the king, not because he committed any crime, but to protect him from getting sabotaged by other jealous politicians. He survived three kings, and all three queens loved him. Each time he was exiled, the queen of the time would beg the king to bring him back to the palace. You can imagine how handsome he was.
Unlike Franklin, however, Su Dongpo was not a womanizer. He survived four wives. Each of them died due to the hardship of the exiles or supporting him to fulfill his calling. They were all highly intelligent women who loved him to death, as he loved them the same way.
Like all of us, he had done mischievous things in his youthful years. His best childhood friend, Fo Yin, became a Zen monk. So he visited the monastery often to see his friend. One day, the monk taught him how to meditate. They sat face to face with their eyes slightly close.
Su Dongpo found it amusing to see his friend sitting in his brown robe and got the idea of pulling a prank. He asked, “Fo Yin, what do I look like?” The monk said, “You look like a saint.” Su Dongpo laughed and said, “Do you know what you look like in my partially close eyes.” “Tell me,” the monk asked. “Well, you look like a pile of bull dung. Ha, ha, ha!” The monk stayed quiet.
Su Dongpo went home gleefully, proud of his prank. His sister asked, “What makes you so happy today?” Su Dongpo replied with a big bragging smile, “Well, I got the monk,” and told her the story. His sister said, “Loser! You don’t even know you lost, and he won?” “Why?” Su Dong Po asked.
“Why? Don’t you know, spiritually speaking, you see who you are in others? He sees you as a saint because he is a saint in his heart. You see him as a pile of bull dung because your heart is full of bull dung.” (End of story.)
This story is an excellent parable for me to check my heart and spirit when I see bull dung in people. As an ESTJ, I see bull dung in people more often than I like to. Stories like this keep me in check.
How often do you see bull dung in people? I understand that even though we know enough not to judge people by the color of their skin, we think it’s okay to do so by the content of their character. This story warns us that our judgment could reflect the content of our own character.
We often read in the Bible how the Pharisees and scribes tended to see the tax collectors and many others as sinners and even judged Jesus as the Beelzebub, the head of the devil. That actually reveals their hearts. Jesus warned them bout their rotten hearts,
“For out of the heart come evil intentions, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, false witness, slander.” (Mt 15:19).
King David asked God to give him a clean heart and the right spirit. Without a clean heart, we keep heaven divided and perpetuate suffering in this fallen world. When you have a clean heart, you experience freedom, and you complete heaven.
In today’s scripture lesson, Jesus teaches us how to see people as God sees them. That is very important teaching because unless we see people the way God sees them, we will not see the kingdom at all. So, let’s begin!

Zhuangzi, the ancient Taoist sage, told this classic fable:
Once upon a time, a monkey keeper was in charge of feeding the monkeys twice a day. He told the monkeys, “I will feed you three chestnuts in the morning and four in the evening.” All the monkeys got angry and protested noisily.
He responded, “Okay, Okey! I will feed you four nuts in the morning and three in the evening.” Then every monkey was happy with the new arrangement. (End of story.)
When I first heard this story, it sounded funny. I thought the monkeys were stupid, and the monkey keeper could easily manipulate them. It’s the same number of nuts a day. What difference does it make?
However, as I grew older, I realized that this classic story is classic for a reason. Many choices we make in life are just like the monkeys in the story. We often think we make the right choices, but from a higher perspective, we have made naïve decisions.
I believe our founding fathers saw this human problem and designed the republic we have. Every two or four years, we have an election. During this time, people argue like crazy and choose a leader between Tweedledum and Tweedledee. The monkey keeper behind the scenes must be laughing at us.
During the COVID, some people thought the Pfizer vaccine was better, and others insisted on taking only Moderna. Still, many others refuse to get vaccinated. People from each group put down another for conspiracy.
I think regular coffee is better, but my breakfast buddy thinks decaffeinated is healthier. When you go to restaurants, the waiter comes with regular coffee in one hand and decaffeinated in another, asking, “Regular or decaf?” But, recently, I learned that most restaurants actually put decaf coffee in both pots to avoid liability because some people are sensitive to caffeine and could develop severe symptoms.
Nowadays, regular and decaffeinated coffees taste the same. You can’t tell the difference anyway. (No wonder I can’t keep myself awake after eating at a restaurant.) In this case, the restaurants are playing us just like the monkey keeper giving us the same thing in different pots to make us happy.
Now, this story kept me humble because it’s a parable about human nature. On the other hand, it also teaches us the wisdom of the monkey keeper, who didn’t insist on his way but graciously accommodated the monkeys even though the monkeys made irrational choices.
Now, the question is, how do we make the right choice? Psychologists and social scientists have discovered that most choices we make are emotional, not logical. We justify our decisions only afterward with logic, as if we have made intelligent and informed choices.
This scientific discovery reveals that most of us are trapped in our emotions, often unconsciously. Only those with a higher level of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) can experience freedom from the emotional trap. Still, emotions are only one of the traps that keep us from making the right decisions.
In today’s scripture lesson, Jesus reveals five traps that keep us from making the right decisions. In fact, he said that if we can’t overcome these five traps, we cannot become his disciples. So, today, let’s explore the freedom from the five traps so that we can make wise choices.

According to Forbes magazine, the United States and China rank top with the most billionaires in the world, followed by India, Germany, and Russia. However, many wealthy Chinese people keep a portion of their assets in the United States.
That means they don’t trust the stability of the totalitarian government. History shows things could turn dark overnight under a dictatorship. So, in case something should happen, they have planned to take shelter in the United States. That’s why most tycoons keep one foot in China and another in America.
Despite all the problems and complaints we have in the US, we are still the land of opportunity, security, and stability. Wise people say, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.” You can say that those wealthy people are wise when they diversify their assets to reliable places to safeguard their rainy days.
However, we also know that we came naked into this world, and we will leave naked. No matter how many assets we can secure, they will belong to someone else after we die. A hundred years on earth is relatively short. In a blink of an eye, our hairs turn gray, our eyes dim, and our limbs weak.
Jesus said if God should take our lives today,
“‘The things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” (Luke 12:20b-21).
There is an interesting phrase here, “rich toward God.” He is referring to storing treasures in heaven. Don’t you think it’s wiser to transfer your assets to where you are going rather than keeping them where you are leaving them behind? Jesus also said,
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.” (Mt 6:19–20).
Since we don’t store physical cash and coins today, there is no concern for moths and rust, but at the beginning of the Ukraine war, we heard many countries froze Russian oligarchs’ assets kept there. So, spreading your assets in other countries doesn’t mean they are safe and secured.
Jesus wants us to store our assets in a more secure place, heaven. He also said,
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mat 6:21).
That means while your body is still on earth, your heart can be in heaven. That’s living in heaven on earth. According to Jesus, that’s the most profound wisdom of living, and that’s what he meant by being “rich toward God” because you store your treasure where you are heading and enjoy life to the fullest.
So today, we will investigate three simple principles of the wisdom of living based on what Jesus taught us in this week’s scripture lesson. Let’s begin!

I was browsing Amazon.com some time back and landed on C.S. Lewis’ book page, “Mere Christianity.” As you all know, that’s one of the most read books in the 20th century, and naturally, you see nothing but raving five-star reviews. I wondered if there were any one-star reviews and what they had to say.
There is no perfection in this fallen world. Even if you created a masterpiece, you would still find some naysayers who try to pick bones inside an egg. Then, I found a negative review that drew my attention. It was short, “Christianity is a myth, and there’s no God.”
Out of curiosity, I commented on his review, saying, “You made a strong statement without support. Would you care to elaborate on how you got to that conclusion?”
He said he grew up in church, went through Sunday School, and learned the scripture says, “Ask, and it will be given to you.”  However, he had asked many times but was never given, so he stopped believing in Christianity because this verse is a piece of solid evidence that Christianity is false.
I said you shouldn’t take this verse out of context. He said, “Don’t give me that crap! I have heard it all. You Christians always try to defend the Bible with all kinds of excuses. This verse is black and white, the language is not vague, and the meaning is not debatable! It says plainly, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you.’ Since it’s proven untrue, Christianity is a sham.”
After further discussion, I discovered he was angry at God because his father passed away when he was only 12 years old. His father had cancer, and he asked God to heal him, but his prayer was not fulfilled the way he wished. So, ever since his father died, he had abandoned God.
He left me speechless. I felt for him since his request was reasonable. He wasn’t asking God to let him win a lottery or make him rich. He simply wanted to grow up with his father. It was difficult for a 12-year-old to reconcile such tragedy with a Bible verse taken out of context. I hope he eventually reconciled with God.
I wished God miraculously answered his prayer and kept his faith. I also wish all my prayers get answered unconditionally. However, God is not a genie. Some people think prayers are like rubbing Aladin’s Lamp and expect God to come out like the genie, saying, “Your wish is my command.”
The truth is that God has bigger fish to fry. However, Jesus did make a bold promise to answer our prayers. He says,
“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Luke 11:9-10).
He says, “everyone who asks receives.” That’s a bold promise, but we know every promise comes with a premise, and every text has a context. If we study the context and understand the premise, we crack the code to the kind of prayer God answers, and we will never get stuck wondering why our prayer is not answered and get disappointed, discouraged, and lose faith.
Today, we will put the text in the context, the promise in the premise to discover the kind of prayer God answers based on what Jesus taught us in this week’s scripture lesson. So, let’s begin!

You might have heard in the news about the giant lifelike 3D cat on a billboard in Tokyo, attracting fans from around the country and even worldwide. If you have never seen it, search on the web for the “giant 3d cat in Tokyo,” and you will find reports about it. (Don’t do it now until after this message.) During the pandemic, this giant cat served as a source of anxiety relief for people living in Tokyo.
Humans love dogs because they are faithful, and we love cats because they are graceful. We love them maybe because they quench our thirst for faith and grace in this fallen world. Cats can also teach us something about balancing rest, play, and work.
Jesus wants us to observe nature and learn how to live a balanced life. For example, he asks us to look at the birds of the air and flowers of the field to appreciate their beauty and learn from them how not to worry about life and how God constantly provides them.
As you may already know, Japan loves cats—they invented Hello Kitty, started Cat Cafés, and even established a Zen temple for cats. Some monks believe cats personified the Zen spirit because they know how to achieve maximum effect with minimum effort. They avoid confrontation, but when they must fight, they fight like Bruce Lee, knocking off their opponents in the shortest time possible.
Sleeping about 16 hours a day, cats may appear lazy, but they can concentrate every bit of energy on a single task with laser focus. You will agree that cats are highly efficient if you have seen documentaries from Discovery, National Geographic, or Animals channels about how the feline family functions.
Their bodies are like liquid, but they can suddenly turn into powerful fighting machines to attack and even seriously injure an enemy ten times their size. So, they possess both humility and vitality, serenity and fortitude. Most importantly, their efficiency comes from focusing on a single task.
As humans, we can improve our health and wholeness by focusing on one task at a time. Distraction can cause anxiety. Anxiety, in turn, can cause distraction. So, it’s a vicious cycle. If you can focus on one thing, you will be highly efficient and able to maintain your mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.
In today’s scripture lesson, Jesus warned one of his best friends, Martha, about the distraction that had driven her crazy. She was showing symptoms of chronic anxiety that could ruin her sanity and relationship with her sister and others, including Jesus. Jesus said,
“Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.” (Lk 10:41–42a).
Jesus diagnosed that Martha’s anxiety comes from being distracted by many things and prescribed the solution by asking her to focus on one thing. The problem is, how do we choose the one thing to focus on when we have a thousand options on our plate in this busy world?
When we study the context, we discover that Jesus was not talking about any one thing but the one thing that keeps us on the right path and maintains our sanity and well-being. Today we will explore this one thing from the scripture lesson so we can also lead a healthy and happy life. Let’s begin!

About 20 years ago, I read a book by the famous inventor and scientist Ray Kurzweil, “The Singularity Is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology.” It’s a very thick book, but the gist is that by around 2025-2030, science will reach a breakthrough to eternal life. Specifically, merging biology and GNR (genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics) will make it possible for us to cure every disease and replace or renew every part of our body.
Death becomes optional by then. It might sound hard to believe, but few people dared to discount his forecast because he had creditability, and his prediction was based on data. He predicted the coming of the Internet decades before it happened. So, it’s hard to dismiss him. He has been frequently invited by reputable institutions such as Havard, Standford, and MIT to give his presentations.
I am mentioning this because we are now in 2022. Based on Kurzweil’s prediction, we are about three years away from eternal life, eight years at the most. That means if you hang in there for another eight years, you will live forever. I wonder how many people still believe him after the pandemic.
There’s one problem. Kurzweil is an atheist. So, he also predicted that religions would become obsolete by then because he believes religions are invented by humans only because we fear death. If death is no longer an issue, religions are no longer needed. That’s terrible news for me because it means I would not have a job!
I love science because I believe science is a form of stewardship of God’s creation. I hope Kurzweil is right that we will attain eternal life through science. If that day did come, I had nothing to lose. However, if Jesus is right that eternal life comes only through Christ, then Kurzweil has everything to lose.
I remember Chairman Mao of China said that we don’t need religions because science will give us eternal life. Unfortunately, he died long before science could give him what he wanted.
Kurzweil and Mao failed to understand that religion is not about the quantity of life but the quality of life. Who wants to live forever in this messy and fallen world? Only a quality life is worth living for eternity. The eternal life Jesus offered us is more about the quality of life than the quantity of life because eternity is the realm of God, or the kingdom of God. He said,
“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10).
Again, by “abundantly,” Jesus is not talking about material abundance but the quality of life. Another translation says, “live life to the fullest” (CEB). Jesus made it very easy for us to raise our quality of life through two simple commandments known as the Great Commandments—love God and love people, nothing more and nothing less.
He said, “Do this and you will live!” By “live,” he is talking about eternal living because he was answering a question about eternal life. So, today, let’s explore this crucial teaching of “Do this and you will live” because we all want to live abundantly and fully now and for eternity.
Today, we are dealing with a very familiar passage, but we must pay full attention to it because if we miss this, we miss everything. Jesus didn’t say, “know this and you will live,” but “do this and you will live.” So today we will talk about what to do. Let’s begin!