I recently went to a special occasion. An occasion with many guests, both male and female and I watched as many around me got intoxicated with liquor and enjoyed there youth and the host got so drunk himself that he fell down the stairs later that night and broke his foot.

Going to these type of occasions is actually typically a good thing, to spend time with your friends and meet new people, as well as network and see what new things you can bring into your life that can help you to be a better person or advance further in life in one way or another.

The dangerous thing is when your significant other if you have one isn't there. As you could be accused of things you didn't do at such occasions, because they weren't there and are only listening heresy. Such as hitting on women who were taken, or women who just weren't interested in you. Exchange women for men if you're a woman reading this.

The real danger comes into play after if questioned by a loved one who believes by the testimony of others that you've done something wrong. It's a scary scenario to be in even if you're innocent. Without calling Dear Abby for advice or writing into Dr. Phil or Oprah's show, the best advice to give to people that go to parties or go to social occasions with alcohol or other interesting elements, is to suggest restraint. If not the best advice of don't go at all, unless your significant other goes with you.

I mean if you really care about someone and/or are at that stage where you are in love or very close to it, why risk it? Not even why risk it, why do you want to be around others? Because if you do, that really asks the question as to why you want to be around others if you aren't in love with the person you're with and want to have fun with them instead of having fun with everyone else. Granted you could have fun with others, but why not have fun with them AND the special person in your life.

Going to social occasions of any matter whether it be a baby shower, a wedding, or even a birthday party can be damaging to a relationship if your spouse or partner isn't there with you and doesn't trust you. Not even if you did anything wrong but because of the fact that you went and they didn't and other people talk.

Don't let others ruin your happiness, believe in yourself, believe in your heart, and believe in your partner if they do go while you can't or are away on business. Always assuming the worst in others and in your partner is a recipe for a failed relationship waiting to come out of the oven. That's not a dish best served cold, it's a dish best never served.

My girlfriend and I were talking the other day about tragedies and how they can occur at any moment. I confided in her that sometimes I get great fears in hearing that one of my friends have passed away or someone special I knew has tragically died. Going into the greater fears of my future wife dying in a car accident or that ever fateful call someday that one of my parents has passed away. It's not as if I'm wanting this to occur just to get it over with of course, it's just random thoughts that pass through my head and frighten me. Because logic tells me that tragedy will hit a small or large percentage of the people we know and it can completely change our lives. While even without random tragic events like car accidents, murders, or rape, people will just eventually die of natural causes.

She responded stating that she can relate to what I'm saying and that it's amazing how we as humans take our very own lives for granted, with almost a very callous outlook on them. We drink, we smoke, we sleep around, we sin in general and we take no concern of the long term affects of the damage we are doing to our bodies and eventually our lifespan.

So the question today is truly, what makes us so indifferent to our own existence? What makes us so lazy that we don't care if we're overweight and obese, or drug users who think they'll live forever? Where is the thirst for life that makes us want to go on and prosper for the sake of not only being a better person but perhaps if God willing, lead a longer life?

For so long I myself have had minor indulgences of certain sins just as the next sinner, and yet I cannot deny to you that I feel such a strong burning desire to change. It's almost as if my heart hurts sometimes, not because I'm going to have a heart attack or I have something simple like indigestion, but because I'm not living the life I want to live and I'm not being the human I want to be. It's during these moments that I spiritually question why I make the decisions I make and what is it going to take to change? What is it going to take, to make that first step towards becoming something better and perhaps the person the Lord has wanted me to become all along.

I think the term "Slave To Sin" and references in the bible that relate to being shackled by sin, is absolutely true. To me it's almost as if we find comfort in our sins, simply because they are familiar. It's the change that we fear the most because it's something we are not used to.

I think now that I've met someone special, and I have a good job and am doing well with myself in the eyes of the simple world, it's time that I grow even more spiritually. I think it's time that I have the courage to at least attempt those changes and see what differences it makes in my life. If bad, I can always revert to my simple ways, but what if everything got better I ask myself. What if I wake up realizing, why did it take me so long to accept the changes I needed to make and why am I so surprised that now my life is even greater than the simple things I have on this earth?

The courage to change is the hardest thing, and the will power of resisting reverting back to your old ways is the perseverance required to lead you to righteousness.

Philippians 4:13

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me"

We've all heard the parable of the Good Samaritan. It starts with an expert in the Law of the Bible asking Jesus what to do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus tells the expert that he must love his neighbour, the expert asked who was his neighbour.

To reply to his question, Jesus tells this parable. A man was going down to Jericho from Jerusalem, when he was robbed, beaten and left for dead. A priest was walking down this same road, saw the man, and passed to the other side of this road to pass the man. Soon after, a Levite is walking down this road, sees the man and also crosses to the other side of this road and continues on his way. Finally, a Samaritan walks past and sees the injured man. He cleans and bandages his wounds, and places him on his donkey and takes him down into the next town to an inn. He pays the innkeeper to look after the injured man until his return, with the promise to pay any extra expense.

When we hear this story, it's a shock to us that a priest would have such little care for someone. Same too with the Levite. However, the people of Jesus' day wouldn't have seen any problem with this. The Bible has clear rules in the Old Testament about priests remaining clean. For a priest to touch an injured man, would make him unclean and unable to perform his duties in the temple for whatever the length of time was. Levite's also worked in the temple, and touching blood would have made them unclean and unable to perform their duties as well.

Samaritan's however, were greatly disliked by the Jews. The Samaritan would already have been considered 'unclean' and so had nothing to lose by helping an injured man.

Now, even though there were rules that the priest and the Levite were meant to follow according to the Bible, Jesus' point was this: That compassion does have a priority over holiness. We shouldn't give up our compassion in order to preserve our holiness. At the end of the day, we're all sinners. But we are already promised forgiveness and salvation from God through Jesus.

Loving our neighbour takes priority over trying to maintain holiness. We will all be made holy through Jesus anyway.