Thanks

 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

1 Thessalonians 5:18

As everyone in the United States is well aware, Thanksgiving is coming up on Thursday. The tradition of Thanksgiving traces its roots back to a celebration by the residents of the Plymouth Bay Colony. In that meal that they famously shared with the native population of the area, they celebrated the blessings of God and offered their thanks to Him for preservation.

Today, many "historians" downplay the importance of God in that event, and our contemporaries mock the holiday or pervert it into nothing more than "Turkey Day" or a chance to get an early start on Christmas shopping. Even many who don't go that far look at it as nothing more than a chance for a family reunion, and never once give thought to the Creator. Still others acknowledge God and His blessings on that one day but fail to do so on any of the other 364 days of the year.These things ought not so to be.

If you'll allow me, I'd like to share with you some things that I'm thankful for, and I'd like to challenge you to reflect on the blessings in your life. Some of the things I reflect upon as blessings might very well surprise you, but I have a feeling that you'll find similar hidden blessings if you think about it enough.

1. Everyone God has placed in my path

Yes, that does say everyone. Like all of you, I'm thankful for family and friends that have loved me and been there for me through the hard times, but I'm also thankful for those who have betrayed me. How can I say that? I say that because their unfaithfulness only serves to magnify the faithfulness of God. I've learned that I can't always trust those that I think I can and that death will eventually take away those I truly can trust, but God is always present and ever faithful.

2. Everything I've faced: the good times and the bad

Again, it's easy to be thankful for the good times, and I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the same. I love that when I feel the most disheartened, God gives me the shot in the arm that I need to continue. But difficulty is just as important in our lives. It is in the times of difficulty that we are reminded of our dependence on God and experience the sweetest doses of His grace. The grace of God more than makes up for any pain we suffer in the hard times.

3. The Bible

I'm getting into things that would be more expected in a post like this now, because almost every Christian would include God's word on his list. But, how many truly are thankful for it? Do you ever put it to use? We have so many more opportunities to study the Bible today. There are computer programs that can be downloaded for free, and you can easily install it on your phone or tablet. How often do you put it to use? How often do you show your thankfulness for it. I think at times we all fail there, either by not studying it or treating that study as a chore. God help us all to truly appreciate this incredible gift.

4. Jesus Christ and salvation

I'm combining these two because in a sense, they are one and the same. Salvation is found only in the work that Jesus Christ did on the cross, and to have Him is to have salvation. We all have accomplishments that we reflect on with joy, and others that we hope to one day achieve, "But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." Nothing that you or I have ever done or ever will do is worth anything in the face of what Jesus has done for us. May God help us all to glory in His cross and reflect upon it with thanksgiving every day of our lives.

The Perseverance of Ray Bourque

And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Galatians 6:9

The 2000-01 NHL season was Ray Bourque's last. His 410 goals, 1,169 assists, and 1,579 points were all (and still are) records for defensemen. He won five Norris Trophies as the league's best defenseman, was a 13-time first team all-star, and was even runner-up in Hart Trophy balloting in 1990 - a feat nearly unheard of for a defenseman. His career exploits were so great that three years before he retired, he was ranked 14th on The Hockey News' list of the 100 greatest players of all-time.

As impressive as that resume is, there was one thing missing. After playing in 1,612 regular season games, and 22 seasons, Ray Bourque still had not earned the one honor that players most crave -- the right to hoist the Stanley Cup and have his name engraved on the prestigious trophy. Those were the most games and seasons played by a player never to have won the Stanley Cup.

Bourque spent his first 20 seasons, and most of his 21st with the Boston Bruins. In 1988 and 1990, the Bruins advanced as far as the Stanley Cup Finals, only to run into the buzz saw that was the Edmonton Oilers dynasty. As much as Bourque loved playing in Boston, a disappointing season in 1999-2000 proved to him that we would not have a chance to win the Cup with the Bruins, leading to his requesting a trade. Bourque requested a trade to an East coast team, but unbeknownst to him, General Manager Harry Sinden, who also desired to see Bourque win the Cup, was closing a deal with the Colorado Avalanche. When the trade was finished, Sinden told Bourque, "This may not be your first choice, but this is the team I believe is best."

Bourque played only a handful of games with the Avalanche that season, but the team came as close as one goal from the Stanley Cup Finals, giving a lot of hope for the next season. For the 2000-01 season, Bourque was named an alternate captain, and was a key piece of the team. At 41 years old, he earned recognition as a first team all-star and was runner-up for the Norris. After winning the President's Trophy with the league's best record, the team then successfully navigated the Western Conference playoffs to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, where they faced the defending champion New Jersey Devils.

It seemed that Bourque's dream would fall short once more when the Devils took a 3-2 series lead, putting them one win away from repeating, but the Avs rallied to win games six and seven to win. It is a tradition that the league commissioner hands the Stanley Cup to the winning team captain who hoists it first, but on that night, Colorado captain Joe Sakic broke that. After receiving the Cup from Gary Bettman, Sakic immediately passed it off to Bouruqe, allowing him to raise it first, and sent him around the ice with it. Of all the players that I've seen lift that Cup, Bourque's moment is still my favorite. Following that season, Bourque retired, finally having the final piece of the puzzle.

Had Ray Bourque given up on his goal before the final game of his career, there would always be something missing. By the same token, if we give up on the Christian life before the "final game," if you will, there will be something missing from our resume. "I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus," but if I quit before I reach the finish line, I will not have reached the final goal. I'll get into Heaven by the blood of Jesus Christ, but I will not have been all that I could have been for the Lord.

We can't quit until our "careers" are completely finished. The day we stop is the day the Lord calls us home. We do not receive an earthly trophy for this, but we get something much better. We will one day receive heavenly rewards that we can cast at the feet of our Saviour in thanksgiving for what He has done for us.

We're all tempted to give up at times. There are times that our flesh feels that we're wasting out time and that nothing will come of our service. The next time that happens to you, remember Ray Bourque. Then remember that you're competing for something much greater than the Stanley Cup, We're competing for an "incorruptible crown." The joy he experienced that day will not compare to the joy we will experience in the presence of our Saviour. Follow Ray Bourque's lead. Don't quit until it's over.

The Greatest Freedom of All

 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

John 8:36

Today is Veterans Day, and you will no doubt see countless posts and articles written about how we should honor and thank the veterans of the United States military who walk among us and remember the sacrifices of those who gave all in service of their country. I agree with them wholeheartedly. Romans 13:7 says that we should render "honour to whom honour" is due. I even wrote a post on my hockey history blog on that myself in which I recalled the deaths of Frank McGee and Hobey Baker as they gave their lives in the service of Canada and the United States respectively.

In this post  however, I'd like to allow Veterans Day to point us in a different direction if you'll allow me to do so. Say what you will about the collapse our society has gone through in recent years, but there are few places on earth that offer anywhere near the amount of liberty as the United States does. I'm very thankful to be an American. But by the grace of God, I could have been born in China, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, or any other one of countless countries that oppress their citizens. Right now, the population of the United States is about 322 million, whereas the entire population of the world is just shy of 7.3 billion. If you do the math, you'll find that if you choose a random person from the world's population there is only about a 4.4% chance that person is an American. Yes, I've been very blessed.

As great as that is, I'm blessed in a much, much bigger way. I'm blessed in that I'm saved. Even better, this is a blessing that is available to all. It also reveals a greater sacrifice than any person could ever give. The greatest love that any man can display is to lay down his life for his friends. On the cross of Calvary, Jesus Christ laid down His life for His enemies.

As wonderful as it is that the sacrifices of our military have given us freedom in our everyday lives, it is much more so that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ has given us freedom from sin. I cherish my liberty in America, but when I've passed from this life, it will no longer be of consequence. But, the liberty that I have in Jesus Christ is an eternal liberty. It's a liberty that frees me from the bondage of sin in this life and from an eternity in a lake of fire in the next.

By no means to I intend to disparage the contributions of our military veterans or those of any other country who have served the cause of freedom, so please don't take this post in that way. What I do challenge you to do is to allow their giving to remind you of One who gave all to give us the greatest gift possible. If you're saved today, it is because of a Veteran of the battlefield against principalities. It is because God Himself paid the ultimate price. This is truly the greatest freedom of all.