An elephant herd that has fascinated locals and people all around the world are finally heading home. A herd of fourteen elephants roamed more than 500 kilometers north from their reserve but are finally almost home. There will great joy and celebration when they finally arrive. There is a story in the bible about a lost son whom left his home and seemingly destroyed his life and eventually decided to make his way back home and ask for the forgiveness of his father. The fascinating aspect of this story is the response of the father whom is pictured as God. The response is not of condemnation for what he did but rather forgiveness upon returning. The father responds by saying, “for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found. And they began to be merry.”
Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church
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A Fishing Story – September 8
Last month a ten year old from Port Bruce Ontario was magnet fishing with his grandfather and caught something that could have been deadly. What he brought out of the water was a mortar bomb shell from 1954. Local authorities came upon the scene and had the bomb transported to Ontario Provincial Police headquarters and then picked up by representatives from the department of national defence. The young boy got more than he bargained for when fishing. In our lives sin is like that, it gives us more than we bargained for. The bible tells us the severity of what it does to us in Romans 6:23 which reads, “For the wages of sin is death” thankfully that same verse also tells us how we can have it dealt with which reads, “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church
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Short Time Span – September 6
Last month China unveiled a maglev train capable of a top speed of 600 km/hr. The train “levitates” above the track with no contact between body and rail. Who could have imagined traveling on a train going 600 km/hr. Travel time between destinations would seem so short. The time span of our lives is kind of like that. Our lives past buy so much faster than we could have imagined. In the Bible, in the book of James it reads, For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Our lives are here and then all of a sudden our time has past by. The most important aspect of our time here is to get right with God. The Bible also tells us in 2 Corinthians “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”
Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church
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Breathing In and Out – September 1
Charles Spurgeon was a powerful preacher in the late 1800’s. On one particular day there was a gentleman that asked him a question in relation to the importance of prayer and bible reading. Which was more important? Charles Spurgeon responded with a question back to this individual asking him which does he consider to be more important – breathing in or breathing out. (Pause) One of the most important aspects of any relationship is good communication. When in relationship with God, through Jesus Christ, communication is key in growing in that relationship. A way in which God has made available to communicate with Him is through the Bible and prayer. Through the Bible He speaks to us and through prayer we speak to Him.
Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church
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Lots of Warning – August 31
Prince Edward Island has the greatest concentration of lighthouses of any province or state in North America. It averages one lighthouse for every 34 square miles. These lighthouses have provided a lot of warnings over the years. The warnings these lighthouses have provided have inevitably saved numerous lives. Warnings are concerning but of great value. The Bible has a warning for all of us. We read in Romans 6:23 That, “The wages of sin is death” and that is very concerning, meaning eventual separation from God. Thankfully in that same verse we read that “the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Here we have not only the warning but also the way of escape. We are to trust in Jesus and turn from our old way of doing things and follow His ways. We are to change our course!
Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church
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Using Your GPS – August 30
We are living in a day and age when it is very easy to get accurate directions. It is not very often that you will see someone stop and ask for directions. Now most people input the address into the navigational system built into their car, or an external GPS, or their smart phone. It provides a great deal of peace of mind when a person knows they will be guided to where they need to go. It would be great if we had such a resource in relation to direction in life. Direction in major and minor decisions we need to make. Thankfully there is such a source of direction that is made available. This source is found in the Bible. In the book of Psalms this is written in relation to the word of God which reads, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. The way to find the direction is not by inputting in an address into your GPS but but by reading your Bible.
Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church
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Exclusive Experience for the Poor – August 27
British Billionaire Richard Branson’s historic journey to the edge of space last month have astronomers heralding this achievement as a significant step forward regarding space travel. His company has future flights booked charging $250,000 US for a flight. There are a very limited few who will be able to afford to have such an experience. In the Bible, Jesus speaks of an experience that is made available that is of infinite worth but he limits this experience not to the rich but the poor. Those who are poor in Spirit. Jesus says in Matthew 5:3 blessed are the poor in spirt, for there is the kingdom of heaven. Poor in Spirit are those who recognize their destitute, spiritual condition. It speaks of someone who recognizes their need of salvation made possible through Jesus Christ and they trust in Him to satisfy that need.
Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church
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Lost and Found – August 25
Last month a gentleman from China, Guo Gangtang, was reunited with his son after a 24 year search that saw him travel over 500,000 km across the country. Since the abduction in 1997 Mr. Guo reportedly traveled to more than 20 provinces on the back of a motorcycle chasing tip offs. Amazingly, after all these years of searching his son was found. Did you know the bible shares about a search that God is on? In the book of Luke 19:10 Jesus shares regarding Himself that, “for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. We are lost because our sin has separated us from God. We are found when we recognize that the penalty for our sin was paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross and we place our faith and trust in Him for our salvation.
Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church
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Painting Kept in the Closet – August 23
Last month a Picasso painting was sold for $150,000. What makes this sale so interesting is not simply its value but the fact that this painting was stored in the closet of a homeowner in Maine for 50 years before being sold. Imagine having something of such great worth, that has been made accessible to you, and just leaving it stored away in a closet. It is tragic but on a spiritual level so many people do that with something God has made accessible to them. Salvation is made possible through Jesus Christ, something of infinite value, and so many people do not take advantage of the opportunity made available to them. In the Bible, in 2 Corinthians 6:2 it reads, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation”.
Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church
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50 Billion in your Bank Account – August 20
Last month a couple from Louisiana were doing a routine check on their finances and noticed fifty billion dollars had been mistakenly deposited into their account. For four days they had fifty billion dollars in their account and did not even know it. Unfortunately, by the time they found out, the money had already been removed from their account. Imagine how much money that is. If you took 50 billion steps you would be able to walk around the equator seven hundred and sixty four times. It is an unfathomable amount of money! Something else that is unfathomable has to do with the wisdom of God. In the bible, in Romans 11:33, it reads, Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church
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Tools for HOPE 