GOSPEL GRACE
There is significance in all things, and in scripture, the number 40 means new life, new growth, transformation, and a change from one great task to another great task. When I moved to Florida, I was just short of my fortieth birthday. After two failed marriages and a lot of painful memories, leaving my hometown in Ohio seemed to be the right thing to do; I viewed Florida as my “Promised Land”—a place where God would provide all that I needed spiritually. And I will tell you that He certainly hasn’t disappointed!! Next to recommitting my life to Jesus, marrying my husband, and giving birth to my four children, my move to Florida has been the best thing I have ever done. God has opened a whole new life with Jesus at the center, and my relationship with Him has grown exponentially. Things that I had never learned even after years in the church, including the FULL gospel of Christ—salvation, sanctification, healing, and the second coming of Christ—have now been brought to light, and I have adopted Romans 1:16, which says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes (NIV). But it took me some time to get to that place. I had received the salvation and sanctification offered to me through the crucifixion of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, but you see, I had stopped there. I had not allowed Jesus to truly heal me from the inside out. Even though I had moved to Florida, and as I said before, it was the best move I ever made, I brought my baggage with me—the past, the hurts, the habits, and the
I WAS REMINDED THAT HE HAD NEVER LEFT ME OR FORSAKEN ME, EVEN WHEN I WAS WANDERING IN THE WILDERNESS FOR SO MANY YEARS.
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