Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

We are about to begin our next study and move into the Old Testament. We will begin with the book of Hosea. Hosea confronts divided hearts and exposes what we truly love. This means it is time to get your next Scripture Journal from our website for this study. If you are a Project23 partner giving $35/month or more, we have already sent this to you in the mail.

Our shout-out today goes to Edward Janowiak from Highland Ranch, CO. Thanks for your partnership in Project23.

Our text today is 1 Corinthians 16:1-4.

Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me. — 1 Corinthians 16:1-4

What does resurrection faith look like?

After fifty-seven verses on resurrection glory in Chapter 15, Paul talks about money. And that is not accidental.

Resurrection hope does not make Christians abstract in their practice. It should make us practical. The Corinthians were instructed to give regularly. Systematically. Proportionally.

"Each one as he may prosper."

This is not emotional manipulation. It is disciplined stewardship. Notice who this giving supports. The saints. The church. It's a gospel partnership across the region.

Paul is organizing a relief offering for believers in Jerusalem. The Gentile church supports the Jewish church. Theology becomes generosity. Doctrine becomes dollars. Unity becomes action.

Resurrection people should never be close-fisted with the generous life and blessings that God has afforded them. If Christ is risen and eternity is secure, then natural resources (i.e., money) loses its ultimate grip.

Believers never hoard what they cannot keep. Believers invest in what will outlast them. Giving to God's work is not a side note in Christian maturity. It is further evidence that you believe the kingdom is real.

And Paul adds accountability to his command. Trusted men will carry the gift. Paul may go with them. Resurrection faith produces transparent generosity.

DO THIS:

Set aside a specific, intentional gift this week for the work of the Lord. Don't wait for emotion. Plan it. Pray over it. Give it.

ASK THIS:

1. Does my spending reflect resurrection hope—or present fear?
2. Am I giving proportionally to how God has prospered me?
3. Do I see generosity as worship—or as loss?

PRAY THIS:

Lord, you gave your Son for me. Teach me to hold my resources loosely and invest in what advances your kingdom. Make my generosity a reflection of my hope in the risen Christ. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Take My Life and Let It Be"

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

We are about to begin our next study, and we are moving into the Old Testament. We will begin with the book of Hosea. Hosea shows us a God who refuses to let his people go—even when they run from him. This means it is time to get your next Scripture Journal from our website for this study. If you are a Project23 partner giving $35/month or more, we have already sent this to you in the mail.

Our shout-out today goes to Kevin O'Neil from Prior Lake, MN. Thanks for your partnership in Project23.

Our text today is 1 Corinthians 15:54-58.

When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

"Death is swallowed up in victory."
"O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?"

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain. — 1 Corinthians 15:54-58

Paul, still speaking about the critical nature of the resurrection, now narrows his focus to one unavoidable reality.

"Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God."

This present body—weak, aging, perishable—cannot enter eternity as it is.

Paul now brings the chapter to its triumphant close.

"When the perishable puts on the imperishable... 'Death is swallowed up in victory.'" (This is from the book of Hosea, which is our next book of the Bible).

This is prophetic fulfillment.

Isaiah anticipated it. Hosea echoed it. Paul preached it. We need to remember it.

In the resurrection of Jesus, our victory has already begun.

Then Paul dares to taunt the grave:

"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"

Death may feel powerful. Funerals still bring emotional aches. Bodies still return to dust. But for those in Christ, stinger of the scorpion of sin is simply a reminder of the day the sting and death are gone.

This is because sin incurs judgment defeated by the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Christ bore the penalty for sin and its sting. He fulfilled the law. He rose in triumph. So death no longer holds final authority over those who belong to him.

"Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

And we are called to faithful obedience because of this hope.

DO THIS:

Choose one act of faithful obedience you have been postponing. Do it this week—not because you feel strong, but because Christ is risen.

ASK THIS:

1. Do I live like death still has the final word?
2. Where has fear weakened my faithfulness?
3. Am I abounding in the Lord's work—or retreating under pressure?

PRAY THIS:

Lord, thank you for victory through Jesus Christ. Make me steadfast when I grow weary. Fix my eyes on the risen Christ so I labor with courage, knowing my work in you is not in vain. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Before the Throne of God Above"

If Jesus didn't physically walk out of that tomb, Christianity isn't mistaken — it's meaningless.

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul stakes everything on one historical claim: Jesus Christ bodily rose from the dead. If the resurrection is metaphor, preaching is empty, faith is futile, sin still reigns, and the church is a fraud. But if Christ is raised, then death is defeated, the body matters, sin is judged, and obedience carries eternal weight. The resurrection is not inspirational symbolism — it is the foundation that makes holiness, courage, unity, and endurance rational.

1. Why does Paul ground the resurrection in eyewitness testimony rather than personal experience?

2. What collapses in Christian theology if the resurrection is only symbolic?

3. How does treating the resurrection as metaphor subtly reshape views on sin and judgment?

4. Why does Paul say that without resurrection we are "still in our sins" (v.17)?

5. How does the resurrection affirm the goodness and future of the physical body?

6. In what ways does resurrection theology confront modern ideas about identity and embodiment?

7. How does believing in bodily resurrection shape how you endure suffering?

8. Why does Paul connect resurrection to steadfast obedience in verse 58?

9. Where are you tempted toward a "coping Christianity" instead of resurrection certainty?

10. If Christ is truly raised, what area of your life must become more immovable?