We have a chicken coup in our back yard that I built inside an existing shed. In order to add airflow I cut an 8 foot length of pipe to fit from the coup to the back of the shed. To install the pipe properly it had to be on a downward slant to allow for any condensation to drain out of the shed and away from the chicken coup. I was in a rush so I just eyed up where I thought the hole in the shed should go for the pipe. After I put the pipe in place, it did not look right, so I went and found my level to make sure. The level revealed I had been too rushed. The hole I had cut was too high and had to be lowered. The Bible is to act like a level in a person’s life. A person may think they measure up to God’s standard but we all fall short. Romans 3:23 reads… for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Thankfully Jesus provided a way this can be fixed.
Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church
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Two young guys moved into an apartment they were renting while going to university. The next morning while they were eating breakfast, they saw their neighbor hanging the wash outside. “That laundry is dirty,” one said to the other. “Our neighbor does not even know how to wash clothes. They both laughed. Every time their neighbor would hang his wash to dry, these two guys would spend their time talking about him. A couple of weeks later, one of the guys was surprised to see nice clean wash on the line and said to his roomate, “Look, our neighbor has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught him this?” The other roomate said, “When I got up this morning I spent some time cleaning our windows. I believe I found the problem with his laundry. And so it is with life. Often times, what we see in others, should be telling of what we need to address ourselves. Jesus said in Matthew 7:3 “Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?”
Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church
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Last month salvage teams were able to free a massive container ship that was stuck for nearly a week in the Suez Canal. This ship clogged one of the world’s most important waterways and stopped billions of dollars daily in maritime commerce. Did you know that the Bible tells us that sin has clogged, not allowed for us to have a relationship with God? Isaiah 59:2 reads, But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you,
So that He will not hear. Thankfully though there is a way to deal with this, have this clog dealt with, through trusting in what Jesus Christ accomplished on the cross and living our lives for Him. In the Bible, in 1 John 1:9 it reads, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church
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Various studies have shown that people tend to be getting less sleep than they used to. In our modern society days are shorter, calendars are fuller, stress levels are higher. A lot of people face tossing and turning at night rather than a good night sleep. Physical rest is essential to our health and our ability to handle the challenges that we face each and every day. There are various practical aids that a person can implement such as avoiding blue light exposure in the evenings, eating properly, exercise. These are various helps and anyone who cannot sleep is seeking a solution. A solution each and everyone of us needs to find has to do with rest for our souls. In the Bible, in the book of Matthew 11:29 Jesus says this, Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church
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The Olympics in Tokyo are scheduled for this summer. Countries from all over the world will be competing and there will be a sea of flags waving. Have you ever noticed that a number of countries around the world have a cross pictured in their flags? It is quite interesting when a person ponders what the cross was. During the days of the Roman Empire, the cross was a means of torturous and cruel execution that was so vile that no Roman citizen was allowed to executed in such a manner. Only individuals from other nations. What changed the view of the cross over the years? The answer is not found in the cross itself but in a particular execution, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus who provided a payment for our sin which makes it possible to have our sins forgiven before God. 2 Corinthians 5:21 reads, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church
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I read an article recently about a gentleman from Capetown, South Africa sharing his experience of inviting a number of celebrities of his and his future wife’s choosing to their wedding. A number of those whom they contacted or their representatives took the effort to respond whether they could go or not. Some of those whom responded included Jamie Oliver, John Travolta, and Prince Charles. There is an awesome invitation that God has extended and it is not limited to celebrities but it includes everyone. It is found in the book of John in chapter 3 verse 16 which reads, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” The invitation is given the question is how are you going to respond?

Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church

There is a comical post being circulated on facebook which reads, “Felt uncomfortable driving into the cemetery today. The gps blurted out you have reached your final destination.” When I came across this post I had to laugh. This is a comical post but thankfully the Bible tells us that the gps is not accurate in this case. In John chapter 14 verses 2-3 Jesus in speaking to His disciples, those whom have placed their trust in Him, and He says this “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church

In the United States medical debt is the main cause of bankruptcy. Recently a church in Oklahoma partnered with a medical debt company to purchase and forgive $3.8 million dollars in debt. Imagine the weight of facing bankruptcy and then to get a letter in the mail that your debt has been paid. The Bible tells us of a huge debt that we all owe. It reads in Romans 6:23 that, “the wages of sin is death.” Meaning the sins we have committed will result in us having to separated from God when we die. The rest of that verse also speaks of the one who paid the price for our debt on the cross, Jesus Christ. The rest of that verse reads, “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. What an amazing gift to receive, through faith, that has been made available to us!

Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church

This past December Wayne Gretezky’s rookie card sold for 1.29 million dollars. This past March Tom Brady’s rookie card sold for 1.32 million dollars. Who would of thought a small piece of cardboard with a picture on it could be worth so much? In both cases the previous owners had no idea of the worth of the treasures they had. In the Bible, Jesus addresses the value of the kingdom of heaven. He shares a story of a man who found a treasure in a field and then went and sold all that he had to buy the field so he could have the treasure. The kingdom of heaven is of infinite worth beyond what we can fully comprehend but we can possess it. Jesus also shared the way into the kingdom. He said in John 14:6 I am the way and the truth and the life, no one comes to the father but by me.

Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church

Thankfully the coast guard was able to rescue all 31 members of the fishing vessel, the Atlantic Destiny, before it sank 220 km off the southwest coast of Nova Scotia this past March. The boat sank as a result of a fire on board that knocked out the vessels power causing it to take on water. To make matters worse, all of this occurred during a storm at sea. Do you ever feel like there are so many hardships in life that you are going to be consumed? The Bible informs us that there will be hardships, storms that will occur in our lives but it has instruction in regard to the proper focus during those storms. It is not to be on the storms but on God. In the book of Isaiah, chapter 26 verse 3 it reads, “You will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you.

Pastor Gary Harris – Georgetown Baptist Church