The All Consuming Fire

Are we comfortable with God's jealousy? Do we understand His passionate love that burns continually, constantly and is directed toward us? I know that it is often hard for me when He comes with that burning, searing fire of purification, of sanctification. My flesh and its desires writhe in pain, crying out for it to cease. I want to run and hide, find refuge among the familiar systems that I've built to keep myself 'safe'. At the same time, my soul craves His touch, no matter what form it comes in and my spirit cries out for completion; to be redeemed and restored to its perfect likeness, made in His image. We who are born again, who have been born anew of His Spirit and who have been given freedom to choose Him, receive His jealous love as those inner fires of transformation, trials, persecutions. His passion is fierce, relentless. He is all-consuming. I imagine these are what the fires of Hell are. Un-renewed people standing in His fire of love, yet unable to enter into its full embrace. He is everywhere and there is nowhere one can go to escape His presence. The presence of the Living God is a fire that consumes everything it its path. It is a love to be consumed by, but those who do not have His life-giving Spirit will never be able to enter into that consuming love. They will feel it on them, burning, but will never be able to be transformed into it. This is torture. An unquenchable fire. We who have received Christ and position ourselves before Him become those very living flames of love, both purified and purifying; being sanctified, yet already holy.
This is our privilege.
Let his holy, purifying, perfecting love come in and chase out all fear, all foe, all sin, all death.

"Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:28,29