Spiritual Advantage with Sam Stone

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!

I have studied body chemistry for some time and learned about the four hormones that make us happy. Here’s the list, from the worst to the best. They all make you happy, but their long-term effects differ; some can hurt you, and others can help you. If you know how they work, you can deploy them for your benefit.
1) Dopamine
2) Endorphin
3) Serotonin
4) Oxytocin
Dopamine is released when you accomplish something, making you feel happy. It’s known as the success hormone. For example, you feel happy when you achieve a goal or finish a task because your brain secretes dopamine. The problem is dopamine can be addictive.
Addictive drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamine, induce dopamine to make you happy like a highly successful person. Maybe that’s why they call them “dope.” Some companies reward their employees for achieving escalating goals to make them addicted to success so that they would slave for the company. So, when you are happy, make sure what’s causing it. You don’t want to become a dopamine addict because you will keep asking for more.
Endorphin is released when we engage in physical activities—walking, running, swimming, etc. Endorphin makes you happy and numbs the pain during workouts so you can push your limits and feel the pain later. It makes you happy first; cry later! But not as harmful as dopamine, but if you achieve goals for your activities, then you are motivated by both endorphins and dopamine.
Serotonin is released during a social gathering. You are happy when you are with people because your brain releases serotonin. Social connection is vital for your happiness. Have a community you trust, such as a church or small group, and meet regularly to enjoy the happy serotonin boost. Serotonin also helps increase your melatonin and enables you to sleep well.
The fourth hormone, oxytocin, is the most potent happy hormone. Oxytocin is not addictive. Instead, it can heal addiction and emotional wounds. Many of you know my father used to run a rehab center in Burma for drug addicts using spirituality. It was exceptionally successful because the addicts could replace their happiness from the drug-induced dopamine with non-addictive healing oxytocin.
Out of these four happy hormones, oxytocin is preferable because it’s healthy, healing, and holistic. The question is, how do we get it? Unlike dopamine, which comes from achievements, endorphins from activities, and serotonin from social gatherings, oxytocin comes from love. It’s a spiritual hormone.
That’s why oxytocin is known as the love hormone. For example, when a mother gives birth to a child, she releases a great deal of oxytocin. The moment she holds the newborn baby in her hand, she forgets all her birth pain, and her emotional and physical wounds heal quickly. Jesus said,
“When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world. So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.” (John 16:21-22).
Jesus is comparing the chemistry of childbearing with the chemistry of spirituality. He implies that the disciples must suffer the pain of seeing his crucifixion like a mother in labor, but they will be filled with joy like a mother after the delivery when they see the risen Lord. The kind of joy that no one can take from them.
Can anyone take away the joy of a mother? Our kids are big now. Sophie can never forget the joy and satisfaction of bringing them into this world, no matter how much suffering she went through.
A mother’s love is spiritual, beyond human reasoning and rationality. So oxytocin is not just a love hormone but a spiritual hormone.
A group of researchers at Harvard University conducted an extensive study on why some people could handle highly stressful situations and live long and healthy while others die sooner. They held the same high-stress jobs without developing stress-related diseases like cardiovascular problems.
To make the long story short, they discovered those who live longer had a high level of oxytocin, which came from their belief system. It reinforces the statistics that show people who attend church live much longer comparatively.
Based on what Jesus said above, your belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ lets you experience the love that secretes oxytocin and gives you the kind of joy and happiness that no one can steal from you. So, based on today’s scripture lesson, let us look at what Jesus taught us about this love that keeps us thriving in this stressful and fallen world. Let’s begin!

I’m sure you all have heard the great news this week. WHO has declared that the COVID-19 pandemic is over. Some localized incidents may still occur, but it’s no longer a global crisis. We hope nothing like this will happen again in our lifetime or in the future generations. We don’t know how long it will take for us to recover from the trauma of these three years.
Now is the time for us to heal the wounds and strengthen our spirits to handle any future challenges that may be on the way. We must rejoice for the relief, but we cannot coast because life is a series of peaks and valleys. When we are at a peak, prepare for the valley; when we are in a valley, be ready for the peak. That’s the wise way to live in this fallen world.
One thing we can learn from this past pandemic is how fragile human lives can be despite our amazing inventions and incredible evolution in science, medicine, technology, and education. People used to think our growth in knowledge would save us from evil. But this pandemic reveals how little we know.
A Chinese proverb says, “When morality grows a foot, evil grows a yard.” (道高一尺魔高一丈). It means evil evolves faster than morality, warning us not to believe that we will outgrow evil, not on this side of eternity. We must grasp this harsh reality without letting our hearts be troubled.
The good news is Jesus has taught us how to handle hardship. The first century Israel was not better, but maybe worse, than our society today. His disciples thought since they had found the Messiah, they had secured their future, including the future of their nation. However, things were about to get worse before getting better.
When their master told them that even the Son of God was about to suffer crucifixion by the evil power, they were extremely discouraged. Their hearts were troubled when their only hope was about to explode.
How many of you have experienced the feeling of losing your last hope? We live in a fallen world, and the only thing that keeps us going is hope. We need hope to cope. When we lose hope, we suffer from all kinds of problems—depression, distress, desperation, despair, disorder, and you name it. Our hearts are troubled during hardship.
The good news is that Jesus taught us a secret that will keep our hope alive during trying times and turn us into instruments of hope for others. He began by saying, “Do not let your heart be troubled,” then revealed the secret to maintain hope to cope. Let’s begin!

Recently I discovered this human life expectancy and survival curve from the Our World in Data website.
Even though the data are based on England and Wales, it gives us a ballpark perspective of the human survival rate. It shows a growing percentage of people are living longer. Half of the population born around 1930 live up to 80 years old; half of those born around 1960 will live up to 90.
However, they all eventually die around 120 years old. That means even though our survival rate is getting better, the human lifespan stays the same—about 120.
The oldest person on record is Jeanne Calment of France, who lived to the age of 122 (1875–1997). She was the only person who exceeded 120. The oldest man is Jiroemon Kimura of Japan, who lived to the age of 116 (1897–2013). Women live longer than men.
According to Genesis, our maximum lifespan on earth is 120, even though this verse is open to interpretation.
Then the LORD said, “My spirit shall not abide in mortals forever, for they are flesh; their days shall be one hundred twenty years.” (Gen 6:3).
Even though it was written about 5,000 years ago and didn’t preclude exceptions, human lifespan data to date prove it is still valid.
I love science and have closely followed research on longevity for over a decade. Many researchers predicted that by around 2025 to 2030, a scientific breakthrough would allow us to live forever. I am open-minded and have been looking forward to this day to come.
Now we are in 2023, and this chart convinced me that breaking the maximum lifespan of 120 is more like an illusion. In 200 B.C., the emperor of the Qin Dynasty searched for an elixir to live forever, but he died before discovering it. In the 20th century, Chairman Mao said that we didn’t need religion because science would give us eternal life, but he died before science discovered eternal life.
Even if science did give us eternal life, it would not change my trust in the core message of the Bible, mainly about human sins, salvation, and the significance of life. So far, science cannot solve human sins. Crimes, corruption, wars, and genocides continue despite our knowledge and education. As someone said, an educated devil is worse than an uneducated one.
Jesus doesn’t promise to extend our lifespan on this side of eternity, but he does promise us the quality of life. He said,
“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” (Jn 10:10).
The word “abundantly” is translated from Greek, “περισσόν (perisson),” meaning “overflowingly, fully, abundantly, advantageously.”
NIV translates,
“I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10 NIV).
The living Bible says,
“My purpose is to give life in all its fullest.” (John 10:10 TLB).
Jesus’ purpose is to give you life in all its fullest. I think our deepest desire is not longevity but the quality of life. Whether we live up to 80 or 800, God wants us to live to the fullest. From today’s scripture lesson, we will examine how Jesus expects us to live life to the fullest. So, let’s begin!

Recently, there’s been a lot of news about ChatGPT and whether we should fear Artificial Intelligence (AI). Are we creating a robotic device that one day might become a monster to destroy us? For now, it’s fascinating to see what it can do. You might have already tried it and seen some fantastic outcomes.
The last time I asked ChatGPT to write a sermon for me, it couldn’t do that. Since the release of a new version, I tried it out again and discovered it could write a pretty nice sermon for me; even though it’s not my style because it’s a little touchy-feely and fuzzy-wuzzy, it’s quite usable.
I don’t preach fuzzy-wuzzy sermons; I like to push the envelope and challenge people. However, AI is getting smarter every day. Soon, you will be able to ask AI to write a sermon in Sam Stone’s style, John Piper’s style, or Rick Warren’s style. Furthermore, it will be able to preach in my voice and might do an even better job impersonating me.
My avatar will be able to preach better than I do. I am glad I am approaching retirement age. Actually, that’s the good part of AI. The world can always use many good sermons.
The downside is that people could use AI to impersonate your relative and scam you. They will appear on your video chat, such as Facetime, looking and sounding precisely like your son or daughter asking you to transfer a thousand dollars to their bank urgently.
That’s scary, you might say. That’s right, and that’s why Elon Musk and a bunch of technology leaders ask Congress to halt the development of AI and come up with regulations. Whenever we have a breakthrough in science and technology, we encounter a confusing and chaotic moment.
Our world is changing faster than ever. How do you navigate the chaotic world? The answer is discernment. Discernment is the number one leadership skill. Every one of you is a leader in this world because Jesus trained his followers to be leaders in this world.
Whether you are a parent or president, you are a leader; you either lead a family, a company, a community, or a country. Leaders have to make many decisions. The more decision you make, the more mistakes you make. Some mistakes could be extremely costly. The only way to make better decisions is through discernment.
I have discovered that every leader rises and falls on discernment. The dictionary definition of discernment is “the ability to judge well.” In Christianity, it’s the wisdom of knowing God’s will. Charles Spergeon said,
“Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.” ~C.H. Spurgeon
It’s easy to know what’s right or wrong, but it’s not easy to know what’s right and what’s almost right. Good leaders have this ability. You can lead a good life in this chaotic world if you have it. The good news is Jesus has taught us repeatedly.
There are three levels of discernment: personal, social, and spiritual.
Personal discernment is knowing why you do what you do—why did I make this choice; what do I crave sugar; why I am angry, etc. Knowing yourself is a giant leap in discernment because most people don’t know themselves.
Social discernment is the ability to read people—who is a good friend; who is a bad influence; who is being honest; what is their motive; etc. Our success and failure depend significantly on how well we can read people. We often read about Jesus’ outstanding ability to read people.
Spiritual discernment is the ability to know God’s will. In fact, if you have spiritual discernment, you know yourself better and people better. If you know the Creator, you understand how the creation functions. So, if you cultivate spiritual discernment, you hit three birds with one stone. Paul said,
“Those who are spiritual discern all things.” (1 Co 2:15).
That means you can make better decisions. Then how do we develop this spiritual discernment? Paul said by having the mind of Christ. In today’s scripture lesson, Jesus imparts his discernment process to us. Instead of making decisions for us, Jesus taught us how to make decisions through discernment. It’s like teaching us how to fish instead of giving us fish. So, now let’s go fishing!