Acts 15:22-31 / John 15:12-17
It is said that love is more than just an emotion; love is a decision.
To fall in love may be more of an emotion than a decision. But to stay in love is a decision.
As we think about love on the human level, then we will come to see that true love is when we want the best for the other person, whether that best includes us or not.
Indeed, love is a decision and it is an everyday decision because it is a commitment.
It is that kind of decision and commitment that we are afraid of because it calls for sacrifice, and the sacrifice is always for the other, and never for ourselves. True love calls for sacrifice.
God's love for us never fails, because it is not an emotion; it is a decision. If God's love is an emotion, then when we sin and do what is displeasing to God, then He will not love us anymore.
But God's love is a decision and a commitment, and that decision and commitment is seen on the Cross.
Jesus is the decision and the commitment of God, and in the gospel, Jesus gives us that commandment of love. So it is a commandment and a commandment does not give us options.
When we don't love as Jesus commanded us, then what will happen will be like that in the 1st reading, when some members of the Christian community disturbed others with their demands and created confusion and division.
But when we love as Jesus have loved us, then there will be peace and unity. Our love for others will bring them joy and encouragement.
So the commandment of love calls for a decision. And it has to be an everyday decision.