“In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you” (1 Thes. 5:18).

The story is told about a man who decided to fly his lighter-than-air balloon all the way around the world. So, on Day 1, he planned to fly from City A to City B. But a wind came along that he hadn’t counted on, and he found himself being forced to land in City C. He didn’t know much about City C. But that is where he found himself, so he stayed there for a while and discovered that it was a pretty nice place to be. He saw all the sights, enjoyed the people, and made new friends in City C. Then he decided to fly from City C to City D. But another contrary wind came and forced him to land in City E. He didn’t even know that City E existed, but there he was. So he met the people, absorbed their culture, looked at all the sights, and made new friends in City E, too. He made his way around the world, not exactly landing everywhere he had planned, landing in different places from time to time, but finding blessings everywhere he went.

Life is a lot like that, isn’t it? You may be at A, thinking that you’re going to B, but something happens, and suddenly you find yourself at C. That wasn’t what you had planned, but you find blessings at C you didn’t even know existed. Wherever you are in life, in whatever circumstance, we can thank God. God is at work, and we find blessings to be thankful for in whatever place He brings us in life, and in the things He teaches us in them, and how He brings us closer to Himself by them.

To the Reader:

Some of our Two Minutes articles were written many years ago by Pastor C. R. Stam for publication in newspapers. When many of these articles were later compiled in book form, Pastor Stam wrote this word of explanation in the Preface:

"It should be borne in mind that the newspaper column, Two Minutes With the Bible, has now been published for many years, so that local, national and international events are discussed as if they occurred only recently. Rather than rewrite or date such articles, we have left them just as they were when first published. This, we felt, would add to the interest, especially since our readers understand that they first appeared as newspaper articles."

To this we would add that the same is true for the articles written by others that we continue to add, on a regular basis, to the Two Minutes library. We hope that you'll agree that while some of the references in these articles are dated, the spiritual truths taught therein are timeless.

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