If you want a good life, there are two temptations that must be avoided. Firstly, avoid building your life on the praise of man. Saul tripped on this. After David slew Goliath, the women became ecstatic. They sang innocently as they celebrated, saying that Saul killed a thousand, but David ten thousand. That enraged Saul. He felt his world was falling apart because of another kid rising in the bloc. He launched a manhunt for David from that time until he got consumed with his three sons. The praise of man is fickle. If that is where you derive your worth from, it will be a rollercoaster experience.

If you want a good life…avoid building your life on the praise of man. The praise of man is fickle…avoid making material things the centre of your life…More goods do not necessarily translate to more life.

Secondly, avoid making material things the centre of your life. This is where spirituality differs from economic reality. In our material world, people’s worth is defined in terms of their landed properties and size of bank accounts. It is not so in the Kingdom of God. More goods do not necessarily translate to more life. In some sense, more goods may mean more burden and temptation. Understandably, Jesus warned a man who wanted to lure him into a family squabble that life does not consist of or derived from overflowing abundance. Our focus in life should be the prayer of Agur who asked God to give him the food that was convenient for him. I believe that this is asking for enough to meet all the responsibilities that life throws at us.