Love is so often seated in emotion. I love emotion.
But what if I only loved according to my emotions? Some people do this… and make some incredible mistakes of judgment. Emotional love without wisdom can get people into codependent situations or abusive relationships or financial trouble or manic-panic-roller-coaster rides of life.
I find it really interesting that the Apostle Paul refers to three seats of love in Philippians 1. First, he says that the Philippians hold a special place in his heart. Second, he says that he loves the Philippians in the bowels of Christ Jesus- in his very core. Third, he prays (in 1:9) that their love will abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight so that they may be able to discern what is best and be pure and blameless. In other words, he wants them to love with their brain. He wants them to develop a smart love.
Smart love makes our emotional love and our core love better. In fact, they each come together to form a beautiful union- each distinct and yet each together I suppose- each encouraging and maturing and directing the other.