Jesus commands feelings

I recall reading a book in college that argued: Love cannot be a feeling because it is commanded, and you can’t command the feelings. In other words, love must simply be an act of the will or a deed of the body without involving the emotions or affections. But the problem with this argument is that the premise is false: Jesus does command the feelings. He demands that our emotions be one way and not another. He demands, for example, that we rejoice in certain circumstances (Matt. 5:12), and that we fear the right person (Luke 12:5), and that we not feel shame over him (Luke 9:26), and that we forgive from the heart (Matt. 18:35), and so on. If a feeling is proper to have, Jesus can demand it. The fact that I may be too corrupt to experience the emotions that I ought to have does not change my duty to have them. If Jesus commands it, I should have it. My moral inability to produce it does not remove my guilt; it reveals my corruption. It makes me desperate for a new heart—which Jesus came to give (see Demand #1).

What Jesus Demands from the World.