Know Your Three

 When we think about the number three, a few things may come to mind. In sports, three medals are given in competitions when the participants win - gold, silver, and bronze. In basketball, there is a three-point line. In baseball, after three strikes, a player is out. In our country, we have three branches of government- executive, legislative, and judicial. On debit and credit cards, there is a 3-digit number known as Card Verification Value (CVV) that can prove the authenticity of the card. We also can find the number three in the Bible, such as when Jonah had to spend 3 days and 3 nights in the belly of a fish, when Peter denied Jesus 3 times, and when Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness 3 times. The number three is often associated with being complete. In thinking about the number 3 in my post today, I want to focus on the three disciples that Jesus took with him to see certain things and went with him in certain situations. A disciple is a follower of Jesus. During Jesus' time of ministry, we see that lots of people followed him as they wanted to see his teaching, healing and miracles. There were 12 disciples that he called to serve and travel with him closely. Then, out of those 12 disciples, there were 3 that he would take with him for certain situations. The three disciples were Peter, James, and John. We see Jesus took them on the mountain with him where his face changed,his clothes were bright, and Elijah and Moses appeared (Luke 9:28-36). Right before Jesus was to be crucified on the cross, he took the three with him while he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-39). These were life changing moments for Jesus and he had to choose very carefully who was around him at the time. The 12 disciples still served and saw Jesus perform miracles and teach, but there were times he only could let the three disciples see what was going on. This is a reminder to you and I that not everyone can be in our inner circle. Not everyone needs to be told what we're doing and where we're going every step of the way, but we should have at least one or more who do know and we can trust them. Not everyone may understand or can handle what God is doing in our life and that's okay. We can still love and respect them and keep it moving. In thinking about your own circle, do you have your three? Let me be more specific. Do you have the right three? I've learned you may have people around you, but they may not be the right ones. The right ones will understand. The right ones will pray and stand with you. The right ones will not put you down, but remind you who you are in God 💚. The right ones will stand with you in all seasons. The right ones can be trusted and won't spread what you told them to others or on social media. I can say that I have the right people in my circle and for that, I'm so grateful 😊!! There was a time I couldn't say that!! So, today, I encourage you...know your three. Maybe it's one, two, three or more than three people you can count on. Ecclesiastes 4:12 says, "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." There's power in numbers when we unite together in God. Don't forget to check your circle and appreciate the real ones💚!! Keep sticking together in every season. Know your three 😊. Love and blessings to all!!