Jesus becomes an academic conversation piece and not a friend who sticks closer than a brother. The true barometer for spiritual health is love for God and others, not the careful observance of religious regulations. The best guard against superficiality is regular expressions of love and devotion to God and people. The way that we express our love is through our character. You will notice that Paul's Biblical definition of love is the exercise of positive character traits, or the absence of negative traits.
Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never rains on other people's parties.