Lent 1: Loving Jesus Right Now

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Last night at St. Margaret's Ash Wednesday service we sang "My Jesus I Love Thee".   I love that hymn.  I think it is on my "funeral hymn list" - not that I have one written down! The final line of each verse, "If ever I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'Tis now." struck me in particular.  "If every I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'Tis now" speaks to me of what really matters and what is possible.  What really matters in my relationship with Jesus is that I love Him right now. 

In this present moment. 

But what about the past??  Yes, loving Jesus in the past matters but that time is now gone.  I cannot change it.  How I've loved Him will impact my present but it isn't my present.  I can rejoice in the ways that love was demonstrated and the fruit I see from it and I do need to deal with my lack of loving and obeying Him in the past through confession and repentance. ( I am glad to be in the season of Lent to give time and attention to self-examination and repentance.)  How I've loved Jesus in the past matters but not as much as loving Him right now. 

In this present moment.

Why?  Well, if I love Him right now, I will willingly repent of those past sins.  I will receive His love towards me demonstrated through His death for me and expressed through the Holy Spirit's presence with me.  If I love Jesus right now, I will be willing to obey Him in this present moment which will then positively impact my future moments of loving Him.  In reality, the present moment is the only time that we actively living in so the best/truest moment to love Him is now.

In this present moment.

What that actually looks like in life with its busyness, mundaneness, pressures, expectations, concerns, etc. etc.  is not something that I will cover today.  In many ways, I think that is what I am seeking to discover throughout my life: how to genuinely love Jesus so that I can honestly say, "If every I loved Thee, my Jesus, 'Tis now."



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