A Plateful of Grateful

This month is all about thankfulness. I have been putting together a list of the things I am grateful for and trying to live my life with this "thanksgiving" in my heart. As we prepare ourselves for the Thanksgiving holiday, it is important for us to develop a lifestyle of thanks-living.I am putting together a message for this weekend called "A Plateful of Grateful". As I make my way to that table of thanksgiving I want to look at what's on my plate.
Philippians 4:4-7 helps us get the portions we need and fill our plateful of grateful with the right items. It says, "rejoice in the Lord always!". Joy should be a main course; a generous portion on our plateful of grateful. In fact you can't enjoy anything else unless you have it. The JOY of the Lord is your strength. Once we have learned how to be joy-FULL, the scripture goes on to talk about "letting our gentleness be evident to all". Kindness and compassion are great "side" to compliment your joy. Add to that "by prayer and petition" with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God". Prayer and petition are like the vegetables. Some folks don't often enjoy these two but when they digest them they realize that there are so many benefits to having a dialogue with the Lord. Do you see how our plate is filling up?
Once you have had your fill of joy, gentleness, prayer and petition; well, you know what comes on in the early afternoon right after that Thanksgiving dinner...a food-induced coma! Sleep...nap, whatever you call it, you are in a "peace-full" state. And the Bible says that it is the peace of God that helps even when you don't understand and protects you heart from being influenced by the wrong things.
Maybe you too could put together a list of things you are thankful for? Do you have a plateful of grateful? What's on YOUR plate?
Thanksgiving begins with thanks-living!