I’ve had the pleasure of meeting some brand new believers in Jesus. Something I love about people who have been newly saved.
Trying to remember that scripture about the angels in heaven sing and dance when someone commits the life to the Lord. I once worked in sales office with some highly commissioned salesman would get excited and would ring a little bell or press the button on a talking Gorilla cuddly toy, about a couple of times a week, when they got a sale, and the client had faxed or scanned over a signed contract for some IT equipment worth about £10,000-£1m or so. Some of the best evangelists I know have done sales work. I wasn’t great at it, some great deals I did happened when I approached the client at a coincidentally ideal time rather than me pushing the right buttons on the company’s decision maker.
Anyway, the zeal and love for the Lord is proof that scholarly background and knowledge of theology is not a substitute for a love of the Lord.
I read various blogs and news sites from various Christian groups and things going on in the middle east. A lot of time I’m reading negative things, showing such-and-such a ministry have had a scandal or bad decision of some sort.
I’m often not good at being gracious when I’ve disagreed with. I need to get better at this. I’ve spoken to many people who have worked in ministry for sometime and it seems common to get jaded after seeing so many ugly things in the church and ministry world, in Israel the believing community is small, everyone knows each other so not so easy to keep secrets when mistakes happen.
Jesus spoke about us needing to be like a child in our humility:-
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
2 He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 3 And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
If you’ve been a Christian for a long time I’d be interested how you have got back to a simple love for the Lord.
Brit In Jerusalem 
Jonathan, you are gifted to write. That is my observation thus far in your blog posts. Would be nice to see posts every now and then. Maybe someday you could write a book.
Oh and to answer your question at the end of your post, it is as you said – a child like faith for the L_RD. This is true and I have gone through it, when I seemingly did not have that zest. God brought to my mind, to have a child like faith. We grow up in the faith and will go through ups and downs. Assuredly however is our L_RD is moulding and shaping us just like a potter does with the clay.