Spiritual Advantage with Sam Stone

“Lord of the Dance” is one of my favorite hymns; I am sure many of you love this song too. One of the verses says, “It’s hard to dance with the devil on your back.” That’s where I got the title for this message. If you imagine life as a dance, the image of dancing with the devil on your back sounds heart-wrenching.
We all know life is not a bed of roses but more like a mixture of roses and thorns. But you can still make the most out of life if you know how to smell the roses without touching the thorns. Life can be very joyful if you know how to dance with the devil on your back.
In fact, the devil on your back may not be the devil. That reminds me of a story of the Desert Fathers that goes like this:
Going to town one day to sell some of his handicrafts, Abba Agathon (a Desert Father) met a crippled man on the roadside, paralyzed in his legs, who asked him where he was going. (By the way, this is a different story from what I told you in my message two weeks ago.)
Agathon replied, “I am going to town to sell some of my crafts.” The paralyzed man said, “Do me the favor of carrying me there.” So he carried him to town. The man told him, “Put me down where you sell your items.” He did so.
When he had sold an article, the man asked, “What did you sell it for?” and he told him the price. The crippled man said, “Buy me a cake,” and Abba Agathon bought it for him. When Agathon had sold a second article, the sick man asked, “How much did you sell it for?” and he told him the price of it. Then the paralyzed man said, “Buy me this,” and he bought it.
Having sold all his items, Agathon was ready to leave. The man said, “Are you going back?” and Agathon replied, “Yes.” Then the man said, “Do me the favor of carrying me back to the place where you found me.” Once more, he picked him up and returned to that place.
Then the disabled man said, “Agathon, you are filled with divine blessings, in heaven and on earth.” Raising his eyes, Agathon saw no man; it was an angel of the Lord. (End of story).
This story humbles me and makes me reflect on my spiritual status—the fruit of the spirit I have. Abba Agathon personified a fruitful life. His love and patience are admirable. He didn’t question whether the man was worth carrying. He didn’t feel taken advantage of when the man kept asking him to buy things for him with his hard-earned money. I doubt I have that level of patience, kindness, generosity, gentleness, and self-control. Stories like this make me strive for a more fruitful life.
Until the end of the story, we feel Abba Agathon had the devil on his back, but the story surprised us when it revealed that he entertained an angel. What if Agathon stopped fulfilling the man’s request at some point? (This story contrasts with the one I have told you previously, in which the hermit lost his patience to help the old man who asked him to carry him to town.)
We live in a fallen world and have to deal with fallen people. How do we know whether we are being taken advantage of or entertaining angles? How do we know we are dancing with the devil on our back or an angel on our back? How do we know whether God is testing us or the devil is abusing us?
The good news is Jesus came on earth and showed us how to dance with the devil on our backs and still make a difference in this fallen world. Today, we will explore this subject based on Jesus’ Parable of the Weeds.
Can we take the devil off our backs? If not, how do we enjoy life to the fullest despite the devil on our backs? Let’s begin!

Deep learning is a term often used in AI (Artificial Intelligence) to indicate a more sophisticated level of machine learning. It teaches computers to think like the human brain. However, I’m not talking about AI today, but about SI—Spiritual Intelligence. Just as “deep learning” is to teach machines to think like humans, “deep learning” in SI can teach humans how to think like God. Paul said,
“Those who are spiritual discern all things, and they are themselves subject to no one else’s scrutiny. ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?’ But we have the mind of Christ.” (1 Co 2:15–16).
Would you like to be able to “discern all things,” see the world through God’s eyes, and have the mind of Christ? You have heard of the concept of WWJD (What Would Jesus Do), but it’s more important to know WWJT (What Would Jesus Think) because actions start from thoughts.
To develop the mind of Christ, we need an environment for deep learning. Deep learning is like growing Chinese bamboo.
After sowing the bamboo seeds in the ground, the farmer has to water the ground and fertilize the soil regularly without seeing any bamboo for four years. Can you imagine working on an empty farm for four years? It talks a lot of faith to believe the bamboo will eventually shoot up from the ground.
If it were me, after the first year, I still have the patience; the second year, I might begin to wonder if I planted the seeds correctly; the third year, I might wonder if the seeds are dead in the ground; the fourth year, I would want to dig into the ground to make sure the seeds are still there. I might wonder, “What if I have wasted four years of water, fertilizer, and labor for nothing?” It seems a risky business.
In the fifth year, you will suddenly see the bamboo shoots sprouting. The miracle is once they break through the ground, they will grow 90 feet tall within five weeks. All of a sudden, your farm becomes a bamboo forest. And it keeps propagating year after year. You wait for four years but will harvest for a lifetime.
Bamboo farming is a very fruitful business, but the first four years could be nerve-wracking. Because Chinese bamboo can be about 100 feet tall, they require deep and firm roots underneath. That’s what they do in the first four years, growing a deep and robust network of roots to prepare for massive growth and be able to stand against the winds.
It’s a perfect analogy for deep learning to yield the fruit of discernment, the God-like brain, or the mind of Christ. Life will be entirely different if you can discern all things because you will have less anxiety and confusion living in this fallen world. You will also know what actions to take for your future.
Today, we will learn from Jesus about what could prevent us from deep learning and how to prepare ourselves for a fruitful life based on this week’s scripture lesson. Let’s begin!

I’m a recovering overthinker. One of the biggest problems I have is overthinking. I tend to ruminate and get trapped in analysis paralysis. I am getting much better; maybe I am getting older and practicing Jesus’ teachings longer. But recently, I found out I am not alone. 99% of people overthink everything.
Some people overthink because they are perfectionists; some because they are people-pleasers—they want to impress people. Still, some people overthink because they want to please God—in fact, they misunderstand what really pleases God.
Let me tell you a parable to start with.
There once was a farmer who discovered his horse disappeared one day. The neighbors helped him search for it, but they couldn’t find it anywhere. It must have run away into the forest far away. So, they expressed their sympathy, “Old man, we are so sorry for your loss. What did you do to deserve that misfortune? Without a horse, how can you make a living? You are cursed.”
In those days, owning a horse was essential to making a living as a farmer. A horse helps till the soil, plow the field, and carry the produce to the market. So, losing the horse was a big blow to the family’s livelihood. However, the old man responded to the neighbors, “Don’t worry! It may not be as bad as you think.” To which the neighbors thought the old man was crazy not to worry about it.
A few days later, the old man woke up and saw a bunch of horses standing in front of his barn. This horse had returned, bringing ten more wild horses with her. The neighbors came praising the old man, “Old man, you are so lucky, and now you are wealthy with eleven horses. You will be the richest man in the village.” The old man replied, “Well, it may not be as good as you think.”
The next day, the old man’s son tried to tame the wild horses. He fell from the horse and broke his leg. The neighbors came and said, “Old man, you are cursed. Since your only son is crippled, who will work the farm and feed the family when you are old? Now, you have to take care of him instead.”
In those days, parents depended on their sons to secure their later life. But the old man said as usual. “Don’t worry! It may not be as bad as you think.” The neighbors again thought the old man was crazy. How could anyone be so optimistic about not having anyone to depend on in their old age?
A few weeks later, a war broke out with a neighboring country. The government came to draft young men to go to war. The old man’s son was spared because he was disabled. The neighbors came crying, “Old man, you are so lucky. Even though your son is crippled, he is at least with you. Now, we don’t know if our sons will return from the war.” The old man replied, “It may not be as bad as you think.” The neighbors ignored him. (End of story.)
This simple parable depicts human nature. It describes the wisdom of the old man among the overthinking villagers. Today, we will look at how Jesus teaches us to stop overthinking. Do you overthink? If so, today’s scripture lesson will help you. If you don’t overthink, you can use this lesson to help others not to overthink because many people around you suffer from overthinking. So, let’s begin!

I don’t know how many of you like Tom Clancy’s international spy thrillers. All thirteen of his novels have hit #1 in the New York Times bestseller list. Jack Ryan is a TV series based on Tom Clancy’s fictional character who works for the CIA. The show is fascinating because each episode covers multiple countries, like the James Bond movies.
In the final season that was just released, Jack Ryan tries to take down a Burmese drug cartel based in Shan State in Burma. Tom Clancy knows how to draw his audience’s attention with exotic locations.
Shan State in Burma is known for its hospitality. Shans are one of the largest tribal groups in Burma. Just as we often talk about Southern hospitality in the U.S., people there like to mention Shan hospitality.
However, there’s a quirk about their hospitality. If you travel to Shan State, you’ll see most homes have their front door open, especially in small villages. You can enter any home without an invitation. In the living room, there’s always a tea table with a pot and cups ready to serve the guests.
They will serve you a cup of tea as soon as you enter the house. If you know the culture, you just sit down and start sipping the tea. The host will also sip his tea. No words are needed. You commune with the host in a realm beyond speech. Then you start talking about the reason for your visit.
The problem is, you must drink the tea they offer, at least take a sip. If you don’t drink their tea, they will treat you as an enemy. In their mind, they think, “Why don’t you drink our tea? You think we’ll poison you?” So, they take offense for not accepting their hospitality. That’s the quirk I’m talking about.
As society progresses, hospitality also erodes. In big cities, most people keep their doors locked and protect their privacy. Of course, one of the reasons is the fear of crime. Robbers and thieves keep us suspicious of strangers. Sometimes, we don’t want people to see the skeletons in our closet.
Nowadays, even most church doors are tightly locked. It used to be that we could walk into any church and sit down to pray. When we were in Paramus, every now and then, people would stop by to pray in the sanctuary. After some churches and synagogues shooting, some churches began to have armed ushers.
How do we provide hospitality in an age of hostility? Maybe we should put a tea table at the door. If you drink my tea, you are my friend; come in. If you don’t drink my tea, leave! Just a thought.
The Bible reveals that hospitality is one of God’s hidden commandments because it is not listed in the Big Ten but shows up everywhere, both in the Old and New Testaments. Stories and after stories indicate that God takes hospitality seriously.
Jesus also talks about how God generously rewards those who are hospitable as well as severely punishes those who don’t. I know some people love to throw a party anytime there’s a reason, but others stress out thinking about entertaining guests.
Jesus wants us to regard hospitality as a ministry. He is not talking about randomly throwing a party but purposefully using hospitality to fulfill his mission. Since God takes hospitality seriously, we should develop it as one of our values. Today, we will look at how Jesus reveals this hidden commandment. Let’s begin!

As a cat lover, I think the proverb, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat,” is one of the worst proverbs in the world. I discovered it originated from “There’s more than one way to kill a dog than hanging.” Then it changed to “There’s more than one way to kill a cat.” Then it evolved to “There’s more than one way to skin a cat.” The dog lovers must have changed the proverb, and they won!
Anyway, this proverb indicates that there is more than one solution to a problem or more than one way to achieve a goal. It teaches us to be resourceful and open our minds to think outside the box.
That reminds me of an ancient Chinese story. There once was a farmer who lived next to a hunter. The farmer made his living by raising sheep. The hunter next door had two hunting dogs. One night, the dogs discovered a hole in the sheep barn and went inside to attack the sheep.
The farmer went to the hunter to complain, and the hunter apologized and promised to ask his two sons to lock the dogs in at night. A couple of days later, the dogs managed to leave the home and come to make a mess in the sheep barn again.
The farmer knocked on the hunter’s house, and the hunter said the dogs jumped out of the windows. He promised to ask the kids to keep the windows shut at night. However, the problem persisted, and the farmer decided to go to the judge to complain. He told the judge, “I don’t want to make this public, but it’s getting intolerable.”
The judge said, “I have two solutions. The first is to punish your neighbor for his carelessness, and he will hate you. Do you want to live next door to an enemy? Otherwise, you have a second option. You must do as I say.” The farmer asked, “What must I do?” The judge’s idea didn’t make sense to him, but he decided to give it a try.
The next day, the farmer took two lambs and knocked on the hunter’s door. The hunter looked annoyed, but the farmer said, “Sorry to bother you all these days. I want to apologize by offering you these lambs as a gift for your children.” The two boys loved it because the lambs were cute and fluffy.
Suddenly, the hunter’s family built a nice fence to secure the lambs and kept the dogs inside the house at night to prevent them from harming the lambs at night. The farmer stayed awake at night, expecting the dogs to come again. But, to his surprise, the dogs never intrude on his barn from then on.
A few days later, the hunter showed up at his door and offered him fresh kills, reciprocating the gift the farmer gave their children. They became good neighbors. The farmer thanked the judge for his wisdom. There was indeed more than one way and better ways to win the fight.
Jesus said,
“See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.” (Mt 10:16).
Previously, we discussed how Jesus had greatness thrust upon us. This greatness is to proclaim the good news of the kingdom to reconcile the world. However, this fallen resists change and is hostile to the good news, so Jesus describes our mission as being sent out like sheep into the midst of wolves and advising us to be “wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”
Most people think Jesus is teaching us to be innocent and nothing more, but we need more than innocence because we are sheep among wolves. We are fighting spiritual warfare, and our enemy is formidable. We need to learn the art of war.
Like Sun Tzu’s Art of War, Jesus teaches us how to win the war without a fight. Today, we will look at Jesus’ art of war and learn how we can make a difference in this world victoriously. Let’s begin!

One of the most inspiring prayers for me is,
“Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.”
Do you know who said it? It was by Robert Pierce, the founder of World Vision, which has helped millions of children and orphans out of poverty over the years.
On a visit to an island in Korea after the war, in 1949, Bob Pierce saw many suffering children running on the streets without proper clothes because their fathers died in the war and their mothers were missing. Touched by the plight of those children, he wrote this famous prayer inside the cover of his Bible:
“Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” ~Bob Pierce
Soon, he founded World Vision in 1950, which has fed and educated 3.5 million children around the world to date. It has assisted 20.1 million disaster survivors, refugees, and internally displaced people. A small prayer of compassion ends up touching millions of lives.
Previously, I spoke about the importance of having a God-sized dream. Having a God-sized dream cures many mental and emotional problems because you have a sense of mission and focus away from your personal problems. When we don’t have a purpose greater than ourselves, we become anxious, depressed, and unfocused. You can review that message online, named “Dream a God-sized Dream.”
So, this week we want to explore how to find that God-sized dream. If you don’t have a God-sized dream, begin with this prayer, “Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God,” asking God to help you see a real problem in the world that you are called to solve.
It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the ability or resources to solve the problem. If you shed a God-sized tear, God will provide you with God-sized resources. So, don’t worry about whether you have the capability to solve the problem. Worry about what breaks your heart that also breaks God’s heart.
When Bob Pierce wrote down that prayer on the flyleaf of his Bible, he had no money as a young missionary. He just saw a big problem. But that little prayer changed millions of lives.
The Bible revealed that Jesus’ heart broke when he saw the crowd like sheep without a shepherd.
“When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (Mt 9:36).
So, today, let’s look at what breaks Jesus’ heart that also breaks our hearts that also breaks your heart and how he teaches us to solve that problem. Let’s begin!

When I was introduced to the Book of Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu), I was completely puzzled by the beginning of the book, which talks about an enormous fish thousands of miles long. It changes into a birth with a wingspan of thousands of miles wide. It says,
“When it rises in the air, its wings are like the clouds of Heaven. When the seas move, this bird too travels to the south darkness, the darkness known as the Pool of Heaven.” ~Zhuangzi (Chuang Tzu).
It didn’t make sense to me, and I wondered what the author was trying to say. After years of study, I realized the author talks about a person with a higher purpose. He encourages the reader not just to have a purpose but an immense purpose to live a meaningful life. It’s aboud dreaming a God-sized dream.
Many people have a purpose in life, but they are too small. Most have a purpose only for their personal possessions, prestige, and power. In other words, most people have an ego-driven purpose. To live a meaningful life, we must have a purpose above and beyond ourselves—or our ego.
Carl Jung, one of the greatest psychologists, said over a third of the patients he had seen did not suffer from any clinical neurosis but lack of meaning and purpose in their lives. Victor Frankl, the Jewish psychiatrist who survived the Auschwitz death camp, said that as soon as one of his fellow inmates lost their purpose, they died within a day or two.
Purpose makes us healthier and gives us meaning to live. Without purpose, we drift through life and become anxious. Fulton Sheen called this “the anxiety of life.” Victor Frankl said that finding purpose leads to happiness. You can eliminate many health issues if you have a purpose. According to Carl Jung, you could eliminate a third of your health problems.
How do you find your life purpose that is big enough to give you the vitality of life?
On the other hand, you don’t want to have an unreasonable purpose like a daydream. The Chinese call those with unpractical dreams “Dragon Slayers.” It’s based on an ancient story about a young man whose life purpose is to become a dragon slayer. It’s a metaphor for solving a problem that doesn’t exist—a vanity purpose.
A significant purpose tries to solve a problem that does exist.
The famous Canadian Psychologist, Jorden Peterson, wants to meet Elon Musk to determine why Musk is developing SpaceX. Peterson seems to feel that Musk is solving a problem that doesn’t exist. At least not yet. It is a very costly endeavor. That money could solve other immediate problems we are facing in this world. We know most of Musk’s projects do solve practical problems, but is SpaceX a dragon slayer’s dream? Only time will tell.
The point is we must have a purpose significant enough to live a meaningful and happier life. We are born to dream a God-sized dream. At the same time, we must not daydream like a dragon slayer to solve a problem that doesn’t exist.
The good news is that Jesus left us with a significant purpose to fulfill. He not only wipes away our past sins but also gives us a great purpose for the future. Previously, I’ve mentioned that Jesus has greatness thrust upon us. Today, we deal with Jesus’ last word, in which he spells out our enormous purpose, known as the Great Commission. His purpose is also practical because it solves a clear and present danger.
Most importantly, his purpose gives us meaning to live a happy and fruitful life. Let’s take a look at it today.

One of my favorite inspiring quotes comes from the movie, “The American President,” played by Michael Douglas as President Andrew Shepherd and Michael J. Fox as the Assistant to the President, Lewis Rothschild.
It was time to run for his second term, but President Shepherd was too busy to campaign. The polls showed the opposition candidate was gaining ground. Lewis was concerned and had an intense verbal dispute with the President, saying,
“People want leadership, Mr. President, and in the absence of genuine leadership, they’ll listen to anyone who steps up to the microphone. They want leadership. They’re so thirsty for it that they’ll crawl through the desert toward a mirage, and when they discover there’s no water, they’ll drink the sand.” (Movie: The American President).
This concern is universal, not just specific to the movie. When we look at the world today, we wonder if we are not in an epidemic of thirst—thirst for leadership, meaning, money, knowledge, purpose, possessions, prestige, power, and you name it.
According to Jesus, our real thirst is not for those things. If we search deep inside, our real thirst is for living water to quench our thirsty hearts. Once we drink it, we will never be thirsty again. In the movie, Lewis was talking about leadership, but I see it as a good metaphor for the living water.
This metaphor warns us that people would drink sand when they don’t have water. Based on this quote, we can ask a few questions: Am I thirsty? Have I found the water? Am I drinking sand because there’s no water? If I already have the living water, am I sharing it so that others don’t have to drink sand?
Those who have living water have the responsibility to distribute it. However, Presiden Shepherd’s reply triggers another layer of thought. He said,
“Lewis, we’ve had presidents who were beloved, who couldn’t find a coherent sentence with two hands and a flashlight. People don’t drink the sand because they’re thirsty. They drink the sand because they don’t know the difference.” (Movie: The American President).
As we enter another cycle of presidential elections, this reply makes us question our ability to choose the right president. If a good candidate doesn’t know how to campaign effectively, people will choose a lesser candidate who is good at campaigning. However, our focus is not on the presidential election but on this human reality: people drink sand because they don’t know the difference between water and sand.
That’s a good metaphor for a profound spiritual reality. It illustrates John Calvin’s concept of “Total Depravity,” indicating we are too blinded by sin to differentiate the truth from the half-truth. It also explains why Jesus had compassion for us:
“When he (Jesus) saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” (John 9:36).
The good news is that Jesus came to provide the leadership we long for, like a good Shepherd, and quench our thirst with living water so we don’t end up drinking sand. What’s more impressive is that not only does he quench our thirst, but he also makes the living water flow like rivers in our hearts.
What does it mean? Let’s say living water represents the true happiness we seek. Instead of looking for happiness from the outside, it flows within our hearts. That is significant because it’s like, instead of looking for another president, partner, or people to quench our thirst, we can satisfy our own thirst if we have the living water Jesus provides.
Jesus made this happen on the Day of Pentecost 2000 years ago. As we celebrate Pentecost today, we will explore how Jesus quenches our thirst with living water and how he makes this living water flow inside our hearts based on what Jesus taught us in today’s scriptures lesson. So, let’s begin!