When we received our salvation, we recognized and accepted the unconditional love of God. Our hearts felt as though they would burst with gratitude and joy. In spite of our sinful, wretched state of being lost in selfishness, God loved us completely. He redeemed us, bought and paid for us to be free from the bondage of sin. He carried us out of the clutches of eternal darkness, into His kingdom of light. He adopted us as His very own. Oh the love, and peace, and joy He poured into our hearts by His Holy Spirit overwhelmed us! Being embraced by God's redeeming love was reason enough to surrender our all to Him. He was constantly on our minds, and we couldn't stop ourselves from boasting of His goodness and kindness towards us. As love-struck children, we were overjoyed to be dependent on Him for everything, eager to learn from Him and see His wisdom and life transform everything about us. We enthusiastically accepted His grace in every exciting and generous promise with child like faith, and our cups ran over with pure joy! Perhaps it's time to rid ourselves of all the things that have blocked up that fountain of pure joy and sweet love that once flowed strong and true. A heart that has become hard and calloused by life and man made doctrines is no longer teachable or pliable in the loving hands of God. It's easy to misinterpret maturity for a false sense of self-sufficiency. Today, come back to your first love, where nothing you have done qualifies you for His goodness, except that you love Him, because He first loved you.