Author: Dr. Michael Johnson

Buy the package as a bundle, cable, internet, and phone. If you want the gospel as projected by the American church, you must Go ye into all the world and preach gun and gay rights.

Anyone even barely familiar with the gospel of Jesus recognizes this is not even close to what He commanded and commissioned His disciples. However, the gospel has been subverted with an agenda of ‘rights’. We have completely ignored the command to suffer and serve and instead made the message of Jesus about advancing our personal and political agendas.

We have bundled the gospel with items that we describe as left and right leaning, liberal and conservative. With this bundling, we have bungled the message that salvation comes from our Father and is found only in His Christ.

We have not merely neglected the gospel; we have completely rejected it. We have substituted God’s righteousness with our own traditions and values. That is why we see no danger in the equivalency of gun rights, gay rights, and gospel.

There were three crosses at the crucifixion of Christ. Only one cross bore the sinless Savior. The other two, one on the right and one on the left were sinners, just like you and I. We don’t know the political or personal agenda of the other two. We do know that the Christ on the center cross gave us one commission, one commandment. Go and tell people about me. And if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto me. John 12:32 KJV

Just a smidgen
Just a taste
I won’t take too much
Don’t want to waste

Just a quick try
A teeny little bit
Won’t be a habit
Can always quit

A tight short skirt
A brief quick glance
Who can it hurt
It’s not romance

Just a smidgen
Won’t even swallow
If only I knew
What would follow

Decision made
The deed is done
Now haunted by sin
I’ve nowhere to run

But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

James 1:14‭-‬15 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/jas.1.14-15.KJV

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6:23 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/rom.6.23.KJV

Whenever I negotiate with God
I put this card on the table
I may not be as pure as Jesus
But at least, I’m better than Abel

I try to be faithful at work Lord
Otherwise, my life is a little unstable
Don’t judge me by the women I sleep with
You gave the good looks to Abel

I bring you expensive gifts Lord
Unlike that Biblical fable
When You asked me where is my brother
My answer; ‘Do You inquire of Abel?’

My advice to all who will listen
God won’t be fooled or finagled
But it doesn’t hurt to try this
Just tell Him, you’re better than Abel

2 Corinthians 10:12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:23 KJV

And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
Genesis 4:8 KJV

He was the eldest grandchild so he spoke first.

I didn’t kill her.

Of course, you did, came their quick retort!

H responded, I told you, I had my test one week before coming to visit her.

They shouted back, yes, but you were supposed to test four days before coming.

Well, nobody told me that. And all of you are just as guilty as I am.

I shook my head in bewilderment. This family was tearing at each other about who killed their grandma.

Their grandmother had died from complications of coronavirus. They were accusing each other one by one of being the culprit in her death. The truth be told, it was impossible to determine who actually brought the virus to this elderly woman if anyone at all had done it.

But they all felt guilty. Each of them justified the necessity and the urgency of visiting. it was a brief visit on a special holiday. They were certain that if they did not visit, they would never get to see their grandmother again. So, they were all willing to risk it. Six of them were in the room. There were another ten grandchildren waiting outside in cars.

It’s not my fault, declared the eldest grandson. I told you that we should just stay home and not visit her. I was going to visit her myself and just give each of you a report of how she was progressing. But you all insisted on seeing her for yourself. And now she is dead!

This was his attempt to lay the burden and guilt of her death on the other 5 grandchildren.

It did not work. All of them had credible excuses. Each of them claimed they had been tested just a few days before driving the 600 plus miles or boarding the airplanes. Each of them claimed they had been tested just a few days before their departures. No one was to blame. At the same time, each one of them tugged to pull their faces masks more secure, covering their noses and chins. I am sure they wanted to hide their entire faces in shame. Grandma was dead.

This is the scenario I recently encountered in clinic. I knew very well I could not sort this out. So, I didn’t even try. God gave me the wisdom of Solomon. That is how to divide the right from the wrong and provide peace in this pain.

“Listen family , I said; Your grandmother would be greatly distressed that any one of you would blame another one of you for the cause of her death. She knew in her 95 years that her life was in God’s hands. She would want you to know that nothing you could do could extinguish her life. She would not be pleased that you are assuming guilt or casting blame. Be at peace is what she would say. And I am reminding you of the fact but only God gives and takes away life. “

They listened attentively and the tension in the room ceased. The youngest granddaughter Asked me, Doctor Johnson, do you mean it is not our fault that our grandmother died?

I responded as softly as I could. We all bear responsibility for our actions. We all must do the best to protect one another from illness and disease. We must behave in ways that are known to protect others, even when it is not convenient to our beliefs, our understanding of the science or even our own interests. We all bear that responsibility. However, your grandmother was the daughter loved by the Most-High God. Her life has always been in his hands. He never relinquished His charge of her life to you or any agent be it disease or accident. He gave her those many years to be with you and now He has called her to be with him. Be at peace. No one is to blame.

John 11:21 Then Martha, as soon as she heard that Jesus was coming, went and met him: but Mary sat still in the house. 21Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. 23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day.

It seemed he would never stop talking so I stopped listening. My mind drifted off to my own set of problems and concerns. His story, just like the two dozen I had heard before him seemed a distraction. I had to remind myself. It was his story that I was supposed to listen to and give all of my attention. Ultimaely, the ministry of medicine is only a ministry if you actually minister, or serve. That requires listening.

However, right now, I am engulfed with my own personal challenges. How could I help my wife overcome her illness? How long was she going to be in the hospital? Did I actually make her sick? These were all good questions. But these questions are completely inappropriate when there is a sick person in front of me. I need to exhibit empathy and compassion to this man, right here and right now. I feel empty of empathy. I feel overwhelmed with my own concerns.

It is in such a time that the Holy Spirit comes and gives me the second breath. He fills me with the energy of His compassion, His competence. It is His empathy that gets me out of the slump and enables me to provide what each individual I am called to minister to, the service they should have. The Holy Spirit asks me, ‘dear son, do you want your wife’s doctor to be distracted as you are right now? Do you want her doctor to be more concerned about their own problems when they are speaking to her? Should they be like you, empty of empathy?’

The Holy Spirit always makes it personal. Whenever I am empty of empathy, I must remember, only He is able. I am the vessel which must be filled with His presence to minister health and healing. I must keep my mind centered on serving Him and that means focused on making sure the person in front of me is given the best care I can provide.

God gets glory through me, if I will learn to lean on Him as I provide for others. His love never ceases. He is never empty of empathy.

For it is God who works within you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose Philipians 2:13

It was a bad dream. It reflected my selfishness. In this dream, I intentionally arrived late. I didn’t want to get caught up in the crowd of angels, and wise men who had come to worship and adore. I wanted a private audience with this baby. I had a list of things to present this new-born child. My list was important to me. It had all the things I wanted this baby to do for me.

In this dream, they all seemed to ignore me. Joseph huddled around and protected his new family, as Mary nursed the baby Jesus. There was no place for me to sit. There was only straw, huge stones and dirt. The angels were still rejoicing, the shepherds still adoring, and the wise men were still worshiping. They all had gifts. I had a list.

The gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh emphasized the infinite royalty of this child king. The shepherds brought their humble praise. I brought a list. I did not come to adore this child king. I had come to implore Him.

Do this for me Jesus. Do that for me Jesus. Help me with this and help me with that. My bills, the roof on my house, the car repair are the things on my list. I need you to help heal my cousin and my spouse and even, my dog. I came to implore you Jesus, not to adore you. I need you to do for me what is important to me.

Such is the dream of a self-centered, not Christ centered soul. God has revealed Himself in His Christ. The more I fail to adore, the more lists I will present to Jesus the things I want Him to do for me, instead of surrendering my life to Him.

The more I worship, bow down and praise and worship, the greater joy and peace I have. The angels, shepherds and wise men knew it. They came to adore, not to implore.

Does it hurt here?

No doctor, it is over here a little more to the right side.

Okay, can you pull your shirt up and let me see that spot? No, I still can’t see it. Adjust your camera a bit, or have someone hold it for you. Okay, that is better. I see it now. Now hold your phone close to the place of pain so I can know what medicine to prescribe for you.

So here we are. I feel a lot like the TV preachers and healers who advocate healing by touching the screen. Telemedicine is both a boom and a bomb. It is, unfortunately the way of the future. The downside is the doctors who are being educated today will be less inclined to get their hands dirty. In an effort to be safe, we will maintain a distance from the sick. The medical professionals of the previous centuries sat with, touched and became exposed to very diseases of the people they served. They cared for them on a personal, close-up basis.

Touch the screen to get healed. I prefer not to get my hands dirty. And after all, you are too dirty to touch.

Jesus had a ministry to the whores and lepers. He never distanced himself from the unclean, unsavory and unsightly. Paul Brand writes

“I have sometimes wondered why Jesus so frequently touched the people he healed, many of whom must have been unattractive, obviously diseased, unsanitary, smelly. With his power, he easily could have waved a magic wand. In fact, a wand would have reached more people than a touch. He could have divided the crowd into affinity groups and organized his miracles–paralyzed people over there, feverish people here, people with leprosy there–raising his hands to heal each group efficiently, en masse. But he chose not to. Jesus’ mission was not chiefly a crusade against disease (if so, why did he leave so many unhealed in the world and tell followers to hush up details of healings?), but rather a ministry to individual people, some of whom happened to have a disease. He wanted those people, one by one, to feel his love and warmth and his full identification with them. Jesus knew he could not readily demonstrate love to a crowd, for love usually involves touching.”

In an age of social distancing, and wearing masks, of course we must be cautious. But we must also be aware that we are making it clear to the people we serve that we don’t want to know their stories, feel their pain and frustrations. That unfortunately, is the future.

Isaiah 53:4 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. Like one from whom men hide their faces, He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. 4Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted.

He stoops way down to touch
Each and everyone of us
Despite my evil thoughts and deeds
My Father favors dust

His loving tender mercies
Covers my greed and lust
One things describes His kindness
My Father favors dust

As I count my own self worth
Possessions I consider must
I value my belongings
My Father favors dust

When you see another person
Remember he’s the same as us
Our God delights in him
My Father favors dust

There is none who’s more deserving
There is no ‘upper-crust’
Dirt is dirt, none better, none worse
My Father favors dust

Psalms 103:14 For He knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.
Psalms 104:29 You take away their breath, they die, and return to their dust.
Ecclesiastes 3:20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

The first rule of leadership is do not attempt to rule. Leaders are not rulers. Leaders are leaders. The world needs leaders, not rulers. Rulers are despots, tyrants, dictators, and czars. Leaders are servants.

Jesus is a leader, not a ruler. He leads through love. He leads by showing mercy. He leads in forgiveness and humility. He leads through personal sacrifice of suffering being wronged without seeking revenge. Jesus leads in serving not in being served.

All of the earthly rulers, kings, monarchs and warlords, lead by forcing their subjects to submit. Jesus invites us to be led by Him. He does not force us by fear. He invites us in love.

It is not showing examples of your power that draws people. It is the power of your example. Show people you can lead. They do not need rulers. They need leaders.

Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Broken Backs or Bent Knees
Work Smarter, Not Harder

The alarm clock rang. I hit the snooze button. It rang again. I just turned it off. I awakened 45 minutes later. I realized, I was going to be late for the church meeting and for the work at the clinic. And then, I heard Him speak to me, softly and clearly. Michael, kneel first to pray, then stand to work. I ignored this. Instead, I jumped out of bed. I was running late for work and I had what seemed a million other things to do. I had no time for kneeling and thanking God for the gift of life that morning. I had to get going. I dressed in a hurry.

I took a quick shower, donned my usual scrub shirt and pants and.., oh my! The pain was sudden, excruciating, and worse of all, completely unexpected. I leaned over to pick up my shoes from the floor and almost fell on my face as a lightning bolt shot through my lower back into my right buttock and thigh.

Then I remembered. What God wants is not a hard worker. What God wants is a faithful servant. The faithfulness is not in how hard I work, how much back breaking labor I do. The faithfulness is manifest in how I kneel to pray, to worship, give thanks and listen.

God does not want me to bear the burden. He has already done this. He wants me to accept the fact that His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.

At the name of Jesus, every knee must bow, not every back must break. God will not place a back breaking burden on me. I am the laborer, but the burden is of God. Whenever I take the burden, I am not in keeping with His command.

The scripture reminds me again and again what is required. It is not about working hard. It is about working smart. It is about letting God carry the burden and do the sacrifice and commit to Him the worship and praise that is due His name.

Micah 6:7-8 Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? 8He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

Philippians 2:10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

Matthew 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Michael, don’t break your back trying to serve Me. I am not impressed with how hard you work. Bend your knee in praise and worship. My burden is light.