More Than A Feeling | April 26, 2026

Love Is More Than a Feeling – Chip Henderson

Key Passage: 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; John 13

OPENING QUESTION

When you say “I love you” to someone, what do you really mean by that?

GROW

Most of us think of love as a feeling.

Something you fall into. Something you feel strongly. Something that comes and goes depending on the moment.

But when you open Scripture, love looks very different.

In 1 Corinthians 13:13, Paul says love is the greatest thing that remains. And when Jesus is asked about the most important commandment, He doesn’t hesitate—love God and love people (Matthew 22:35–40).

So love isn’t just important.
It’s central.

But here’s the question—how do you actually know if you love someone?

Because anybody can say it.

That’s why Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. A man is hurting on the side of the road. Two religious people see him… and keep walking. But the Samaritan stops.

He sees him.
He feels compassion.
And then he acts.

That’s the difference.

Love isn’t proven by what you say.
It’s revealed by what you do.

And Jesus quietly redefines something else too—who we love. The lawyer wanted to limit “neighbor” to people like him. Jesus expands it to anyone God puts in front of you—even people you wouldn’t naturally choose.

That kind of love shows up in real ways:

  • Love prioritizes others over self
  • Love risks comfort, safety, and control
  • Love gives time, attention, and resources
  • Love feels…and then moves toward action

And when you read 1 Corinthians 13:4–7, every description of love is active. Patient. Kind. Forgiving. Enduring.

Love isn’t passive. It’s a choice you make, over and over again

  • Read Luke 10:25-37. What stood out to you from the story of the Good Samaritan?

  • Where do you tend to define “neighbor” too narrowly?

  • Read I Corinthians 13:4-7. Which action from 1 Corinthians 13 challenges you the most right now?

PRAY

If we’re honest, a lot of our “love” is actually about us.

What I feel.
What I want.
What this costs me.

That’s more like passion—focused inward.

But biblical love is compassion—it moves toward others, even when it costs you something.

And that’s where it gets hard.

Because love requires risk.

  • Risk being rejected
  • Risk being hurt
  • Risk being misunderstood
  • Risk being vulnerable

Some of us avoid love at that level because we’ve been burned before. Others keep things surface-level because it feels safer.

But you can’t be fully loved if you’re not fully known.

And you can’t love like Jesus without stepping into some level of risk.

  • Where do you feel resistance or fear when it comes to loving others?

  • What are you trying to protect—your comfort, your image, your past hurt?

  • What would it look like to invite God into that space this week?

Take a minute and pray honestly about that.

CONNECT

Love doesn’t grow in isolation.

It grows in real relationships—where people see you, know you, and walk with you.

And sometimes the most loving thing you can do is show up consistently and stay engaged.

  • Who has loved you in a way that cost them something? What impact did that have?

  • Where do you need to move from “keeping the peace” to actually making peace?a

  • How can this group create space for honest, real relationships?

SHARE

The Samaritan didn’t just feel something—he did something.

He gave his time.
His money.
His attention.
His care.

Love always moves outward.

And most of the time, the opportunity is already in front of you—you just have to see it.

  • Who in your life right now needs to be seen, helped, or cared for?

  • What’s one practical way you can show love this week?

  • Matthew 22:37-40 tells us that we are to love God first and foremost. How might you love the Lord better this week?

SCRIPTURE ANCHOR

“But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
— 1 Corinthians 13:13

LIVE IT OUT: BE THE CHURCH THIS WEEK

Grow: Read 1 Corinthians 13:4–7 each day. Ask, “Where is God inviting me to live this out?”
Pray: Ask God to help you love one person this week with compassion, not convenience.
Connect:  Have one honest conversation where you choose vulnerability over surface-level.
Share: Do one intentional act of love that costs you something—your time, comfort, or resources.