Love, whether it is given or received, is experienced through action. Intending to love someone is not the same as loving them. Feeling you should love someone out of guilt or obligation is not love. Neither intent nor compulsion results in love. Only through our actions are we able to demonstrate love to another. Only through the actions of another are we able to feel their love for us. We can mentally and gracefully believe that someone loves us, but unless they act out their love towards us, it simply isn’t real. If we are serious about loving Jesus, it follows that we will express that love through our actions.