By Simon Baker, student news writer, Office of University Communications
CAMPBELLSVILLE, KY– Overcome past mistakes and “look to the future” in Christ.
This was the advice from Christian Naylor as he spoke at Campbellsville University’s chapel recently in Ransdell Chapel.
Naylor, senior pastor at First Baptist Church, in Russell Springs, Ky., discussed how God delivered him from his sinful life and why he believes it is essential for someone to reflect on their past to grow in their relationship with Christ.
“The past is hard to look at it can bring emotions and sadness,” he said. “The past is hard to deal with, but is important to look at, while also looking towards the future.”
The first reason to look at the past, Naylor said, is to remember the faithfulness of God.
“I bet everyone in here, if you’re a Christian, could look back in life and no matter how bad your past has been, and see God worked at this moment and his faithfulness.”
It is also crucial to look at the past so a person can learn from their mistakes, Naylor said.
He shared a humorous illustration to demonstrate the essence of learning from past mistakes. Naylor said when he was thirteen, he was at his grandmother’s house and hungry, so he heated a sandwich in the microwave. However, after a series of loud noises coming from the microwave, he learned not to put aluminum foil in the microwave.
“There have been incidents where I have responded terribly in anger or pride, but I can learn by asking questions like, how should I respond next time, Naylor shared.
Naylor also addressed the sin of temptation.
“A lot of you all are struggling with the same temptation over and over,” he said. “It is because you’re not learning from your mistakes.”
Learning from your mistakes can help you spiritually, Naylor stated.
He asked, “If God is rich in mercy, isn’t He just letting us get by in our sins and could care less about what you do?”
Naylor answered by saying, “God can show mercy on us because He placed all sins on Jesus.”
Naylor said the last reason to look at the past is to “see what God brought you out of.” Before life in Christ, we were dead to sin, he shared. This is why Jesus came.
He professed, “We deserve death, but Jesus lived a perfect life, died for our sins and rose from the grave. We deserve the wrath of God that was poured out on Jesus, but Jesus took it for us on the cross.”
To view the full chapel, go to YouTube and search “Campbellsville University Chapel 3/1/23.”
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with an enrollment of nearly 12,000 students. The university offers over 100 programs of study including doctoral, masters, bachelors, associate and certification programs. The website for complete information is www.campbellsville.edu.