The Greatest Force

For three days thoughts regarding Matthew 11:12 have been swirling through my mind, urging me to write, but the opportunities were minimal and never long enough.  A moment here or there, but never time to really pray and listen to God's response as to what I should write.  Instead, He has been whispering to me to remember what He wants of me.
There are times when thoughts come and I start to write, get interrupted and never go back due to the fact that I am never reminded to write about them.  This time, however, is one of those things I cannot let go.  So here I am with an hour to spend in contemplation and listening.
"From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it."  NIV
“From the days of Yohannan The Baptizer until this hour the Kingdom of Heaven is led by force and the violent are seizing it.” ABIPE
"And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force."  KJV
This verse sounds so violent, especially since it is Jesus talking, so it stands out vividly.  There are very few times in Scripture where you will find Jesus speaking so strongly.  His normal approach is gentility to the max.
Here, however, it seems He is speaking quite firmly and wants to get a point across that we can very easily miss, if we're not careful.
The word for 'violent men' is by-ace-tie and means, 'one who uses violence, or is impetuous, one who is forceful in eager pursuit.'  (Kingdom Force by Avram Yehoshua - great online article about this verse)
The force of love is the greatest force of all - "for God is love."  I John 4:8
It is Love that took Jesus to a violent cross and forced open the gates of Heaven so we could enter simply by believing Him, receiving Him and confessing Him as Lord.  God's love is so extreme that He was willing to use the force of that love to destroy the foundations of sin and set us free through the extremely violent death of His Son Jesus on the cross.
We need that same force in our lives in order gain that "eager pursuit" of heaven for ourselves and all those around us.  Once we have received Jesus as our personal Savior, we cannot let go of that violent force of Love that urges us to get out and teach and preach His Word.
The sense of urgency that besets the soldier going into battle and forces him to go beyond his wildest imaginations in order to take back the freedom that he and his family, friends and loved ones have been robbed of is the same sense and greater that is spoken of here.  When the soldier keeps his thoughts focused on the freedom to be gained rather than what he could lose (his physical life) he becomes a force to be reckoned with and the enemy begins to fear him.  We call him "hero."  However, if he focuses on his fears, he will run away and hide and be either destroyed by the enemy or his own people.  We call him "traitor."
We see this as just and right, but the thought of God calling us a traitor for turning our backs on Him and refusing His gift and duty to battle in love seems horrendous to us.  God our Creator, who made us in His own image, must bow to us and do what we want of Him.  Our desire is to make Him in our image instead.  Though He is the Commander in Chief above the president or any other man regardless of leadership position,  we choose to be angry at His choices, even though we accept those of ordinary men.
God has given us a command: "Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Teaching them to obey whatsoever I have commanded you."  Matthew 28:19-20
He then gives us a promise: "And lo, I am with You always, even to the end of the age."  Matthew 28:20b
My prayer is for each of His true children to rise up with eagerness to take the kingdom by the force of Love through much prayer, study and testifying of His grace.