God is a consuming fire; our desire for God must include a willingness to have the chaff burned from our intellect and the weeds of our sinful will purge. The very fear would have of surrendering themselves to the Lord with a cross is evidence of their instinctive belief in His Holiness. Because God is fire, we cannot escape Him, whether we draw near for conversion or flee from aversion: in either case, He affects us. If we accept His love, its fires will illuminate and warm us; if we reject Him, they will still burn on in us in frustration and remorse.
David Given Schwarm 