As we travel the road to Bethlehem, we take a look at the virgin Mary. Her life may not have played out the way SHE thought it would. Nonetheless Mary was a willing played her part in the birth, life, and death of her Lord and Savior. Homework for next week: read Luke 1:39-56.

Are you trying to make Christmas great in the eyes of people or great in the eyes of the Lord? Don't lose yourself in the hustle of the holidays...remember the reason for the season...Christ! Homework for next week: Read Luke 1:26-38.

"You are the salt of the earth." "You are the light of the world." The Bible uses these pictures to describe the role of Christians on this earth. Homework for next week: Read Luke 1:1-25.

Gluttony is passion for the worthless things in life. Gluttony is turning to an excess of "things" in life to try to fill a hole....things like food, alcohol, shopping, etc. No matter what kind of glutton are you, there's one cure...fixate on the cross....fill up on Jesus! Homework for next week: Read Acts 15.

Lust is an addiction. It masters us, just like the urge to start fires masters the pyromaniac. Lust, like fire, is difficult to control. Once either one is out of control, they both can end up controlling us. Christ is the answer to controlling lust. Homework for next week: Read Genesis 25.

How many of us are so content with things of this world that we've lost the desire for God's Word? How many of us are so content with earthly distractions because they don't give us time to think about the one thing most needful? A hunger for the things of God comes only from one place: God Himself. Homework for next week: Read Genesis 39; Memorize Romans 10:17; Read Matthew 5.

Wrath is emotions run wild....being out of control. Like a grenade, wrath has no control over who will or will not be damaged. Like a bomb, wrath is good for only one thing: mass devastation. Let's look to God for help in being meek. Homework for next week: read 2 Thessalonians 3

Envy is that deadly sin that stays within the heart and defiles the person from the inside, rarely making itself known to the world. Envy ultimately rots you from the inside out. There's nothing to be envious of in this life when you have heaven to look forward to. Jesus gave up everything and was exalted. We'll be exalted too. Homework for next week: Read Genesis 49.

Just like poison is a secret weapon, meant to stay hidden, free stays within us and no one knows about it. Greed is infused into our culture and how we identify ourselves in the world. We must be keenly aware that we cannot follow our own greedy desires and Christ at the same time.

Homework for next week: Read Genesis 4.

Our first of seven weeks in this series takes a look at pride...the king of all sins. We are ultimately separated from God because of pride. Pride excludes not only God, but also neighbor. Therefore, pride needs to be revealed and crushed immediately. (Homework for next week: Genesis 30.)