If God hadn't first sent his Son to redeem us, love, as God reveals it, would be completely unknown in our world. Love is an essential evidence of our belonging to Christ. When you grow a plant, its life is in the seed. The Bible speaks of love as an action . Its a command.
Love is first an obedience before it becomes a feeling.
This is good news. It means there is something we can do when love doesn't seem to be there. God doesn't say, feel love for your neighbor, or husbands feel love for your wives. He doesn't say fall in love with others. God's word tells us specific things to work on to encourage love to grow in us.