Want vs need

Our Daily Bread
I have been working on software development projects for over twenty years now.  When defining requirements, we do an exercise asking the user: Is this a want?  Is this a need?  Is this a nice to have?  The classifications helped us prioritize development efforts around the things that were important and easy to do!

We can use the same analysis in our personal lives.  We can ask God for things and not realize that they are "wants" and not "needs".  Many things are "nice to haves" instead of needs.  God promises to provide for all of our needs.  I love the metaphor about the flowers in the field.  God provides a beautiful picture for them.  How much better does he know our needs and provides for those that follow him?  When discussing this with a friend, we talked about the three answers to prayer (as we perceived them):  Yes, No, Not now.  ha!  The true measure of faith is to discern what to ask for and to believe that God will provide.  No, I won't be praying to win the lottery.  Yes, I will pray for patience and wisdom in finding my husband.  God is so good.  Let us praise him for providing for our needs.  Let us praise him for not giving us everything we want!

Lord, we thank you and praise you for providing for us.  Please help us live a life of gratitude and generosity.  

Technology Thursday
Privacy
So how can we protect our privacy and passwords online?  Here are a couple of articles that should help.  Be careful out there!

10 Ways to Protect Your Privacy Online
http://daol.aol.com/articles/10-ways-to-protect-privacy-online/

10 incredibly simple things you should be doing to protect your privacy
http://www.forbes.com/sites/kashmirhill/2012/08/23/10-incredibly-simple-things-you-should-be-doing-to-protect-your-privacy/

11 Simple Ways to Protect Your Privacy
http://techland.time.com/2013/07/24/11-simple-ways-to-protect-your-privacy/

How to pick a strong password and protect your privacy
http://www.reputation.com/reputationwatch/articles/how-pick-strong-password-and-protect-your-privacy

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Tolstoy once said; “Where there is faith, there is love;
Where there is love, there is peace;
Where there is peace, there is God;
And where there is God; there is no need.”  Can your faith in God move you beyond your own needs and seek a way to live in this broken world and serve the children of God?  - J. Perez