Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NLT)

There is something about things that come in threes. When something bad happens, you’ll often hear people say that “they come in threes.” If you notice, gags in movies and sitcoms will almost always happen three times. In writing it’s called the “Rule of Three” which states that things that come in three are funnier, more satisfying or more effective.

But it’s not just writing. The Rule of Three may refer to:

• Rule of three (medicine), for calculating a confidence limit when no events have been observed
• Rule of three (mathematics), a computation method in mathematics
• Rule of three (aviation), a rule of descent in aviation
• Rule of three (economics), a rule of thumb about major competitors in a free market
• Rule of three (C++ programming), a rule of thumb about class method definitions
• Rule of three (computer programming), a rule of thumb about code refactoring
• In survival skills, the rule of three is a rule of thumb for prioritizing needs
• Rule of thirds, a compositional rule of thumb in photography
• Rule of thirds (diving), a rule of thumb for scuba divers

There is something about things that come in threes. Even Schoolhouse Rock recognized it as a “magic number.” I like to think that our triune God liked to express His triune nature in all that He created. Artists are like that.

And so, we come upon a simple rule of three in today’s chapter. A simple rule of three commands which encompass God’s will. I hear people constantly wondering about God’s will for them. I even find myself asking “God, what do you want from me?”

We should remember, whenever we catch that question rumbling in our soul or escaping from our lips that God gave us a rule of three in answer:

• Always be joyful.
• Never stop praying.
• Be thankful in all circumstances…

 …for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.