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

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is 1 Corinthians 1:4-9.

What do you do when you feel like you're slipping spiritually?
When your habits wobble… your prayer life dips… or your confidence takes a hit… and you wonder, "Is God tired of me yet?"

Paul answers that fear before the Corinthians even think to ask it.

He starts with gratitude.

I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you— so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. — 1 Corinthians 1:4-9

Paul sees their future before he addresses their failures.
He knows what's coming in this letter: division, immorality, lawsuits, confusion, and spiritual immaturity.

But he doesn't start with their mess.
He starts with grace—the grip of His grace that won't let go.

• God's grace started this.
• God's grace sustains this.
• God's grace will finish this.

You're enriched. You're gifted. You're sustained. You're kept guiltless.
And none of this hangs on your performance.

It hangs on God's faithfulness.

When you feel shaky… His grip stands steady.
When you feel weak… the grip of His grace that won't let go holds you tight.

If you belong to Jesus, He's not letting go—ever.

DO THIS:

Say this out loud today: "God will sustain me to the end." Repeat it until it sinks deeper than your doubt.

ASK THIS:

1. Where do you feel spiritually "weak" right now?
2. How does knowing God will sustain you change your confidence today?
3. What gift or grace has God given you that you've forgotten to use?

PRAY THIS:

Jesus, thank You for holding me with a grace that refuses to let go. Give me strength, confidence, and faith for today. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"He Will Hold Me Fast"

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

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is 1 Corinthians 1:1-3.

Have you ever forgotten who you are?
Not your name.
Your identity.
The core of who God says you are.

Because life has a way of chipping at that, doesn't it?
One comment from someone who doesn't really know you…
One failure you can't stop replaying…
One season where you feel more worn out than useful…
And suddenly you're questioning everything.

That's exactly why Paul opens this letter the way he does.

He doesn't start with correction. He starts with identity.

Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes,

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. — 1 Corinthians 1:1–3

Corinth was a moral circus.
A city where everything was loud, proud, fast, and compromised.
But Paul looks straight at this messy church and says,

You're God's people.
You're sanctified.
You're called saints.

Not because they earned it.
Not because their behavior proved it.
Because Jesus did the work and placed His name on them.

And here's the takeaway for you today:

Culture doesn't get to name you. Christ already did.

You are:

1. Sanctified — set apart by God.
2. Called — chosen for His purposes.
3. Blessed — grace and peace belong to you.

Paul says all that before addressing a single issue… because identity always comes before behavior.

When you remember who you are, you start living like who you are.

DO THIS:

Speak your identity out loud today.
"I am sanctified in Christ and called by God."
Say it before you walk into work… before you see your family… before you face that thing that makes you doubt yourself.

ASK THIS:

1. Where have you let the culture tell you who you are instead of Christ?
2. What false label do you need to lay down today?
3. How would your decisions change if you fully lived like a "called saint"?

PRAY THIS:

Jesus, remind me today who I am in You.
Strip away every false label and anchor my heart in Your grace. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Who You Say I Am"

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

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is Judges 21:24-25.

And the people of Israel departed from there at that time, every man to his tribe and family, and they went out from there every man to his inheritance. In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes. — Judges 21:24-25

We've reached the final words of the Book of Judges, and they sting with truth: "Everyone did what was right in his own eyes." It's a haunting refrain that sums up an entire generation that forgot God. They had the covenant, the law, and the land—but they abandoned the Lord who gave it all.

This wasn't just a national problem—it was a personal one. Each man, each family, each leader turned inward and made his own truth. They didn't reject God outright—they simply replaced Him with self-rule. And that is the ultimate definition of rebellion.

We see the same story unfolding today. People still do what is right in their own eyes. We redefine truth, rebuild idols, and rewrite morality—and then dance in the streets celebrating that we have "No King." We glorify rebellion as freedom, and self-rule as enlightenment, forgetting that the absence of God's authority always ends in moral collapse.

But the story doesn't have to end this way. Judges ends in darkness—but it points to the dawn. From this chaos would come a King—first Saul, then David, then Solomon, and finally Jesus—the true King who reigns in righteousness. He doesn't just judge the world; He redeems it.

So as we close this book, let's not repeat Israel's mistake. Let's remember the Lord—His Word, His ways, His works. Let's be people who live by conviction, not convenience; who follow truth, not trends; who walk by faith, not sight.

To everyone who's walked through Judges with us—thank you. You've faced hard truths and found God's mercy in the middle of them. My prayer is that this journey has stirred your faith and strengthened your resolve to follow Him.

Take this truth into your homes, churches, workplaces, and nation. Don't live as if there is no King—live as if your King is coming soon.

If you've been part of this series, leave your first and last name, city, and state in the comments below. Let's celebrate what God has done and commit together to live differently.

ASK THIS:

1. How has the Book of Judges challenged my view of faith and obedience?
2. In what ways have I done what is right in my own eyes?
3. How can I help my family remember the Lord in daily life?
4. What does living under the reign of King Jesus look like for me this week?

DO THIS:

• Take time to reflect on what God taught you through Judges.
• Write one takeaway you want to carry into the next season of life.
• Share this series with a friend who needs to rediscover God's truth.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, thank You for the lessons of Judges. Help me remember You when the world forgets. Keep me from doing what is right in my own eyes and lead me to walk faithfully in Yours. You are my King, my Judge, and my Redeemer. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"King of My Heart."

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

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is Judges 21:21-23.

If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards and snatch each man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh, and go to the land of Benjamin. And when their fathers or their brothers come to complain to us, we will say to them, 'Grant them graciously to us, because we did not take for each man of them his wife in battle, neither did you give them to them, else you would now be guilty.'" And the people of Benjamin did so and took their wives, according to their number, from the dancers whom they carried off. Then they went and returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and lived in them. — Judges 21:21-23

Israel found a way to move on—but not to make it right. They buried the mess instead of confessing it. What started as a battle for justice ends in a festival of deception and abduction. It's a tragic cover-up wrapped in religious ceremony.

They thought the problem was solved, but nothing was healed. They won the battle, but lost thousands of brothers. Their sin was buried—but not gone.

When we bury sin, it doesn't disappear; it festers. We might hide it beneath success, busyness, or excuses, but buried sin always resurfaces. It's like sweeping dirt under the carpet—sooner or later, someone lifts the rug, and everything hidden spills out.

We do this all the time. We ignore the conflict instead of confronting it. We hide our struggles instead of confessing them. We mask pain with performance, hoping time will heal what only repentance can restore.

But here's the truth: you can't bury what God wants to heal. Israel needed confession, not cover-up. They needed repentance, not rationalization. And so do we.

If you've been burying something—anger, bitterness, guilt, or sin—it's time to uncover it before God. Confession doesn't expose you to shame; it opens you to grace. God can only heal what you bring into the light.

So lift the rug. Let God sweep the room clean. Don't live with lumps under your life—bring them to the One who can make all things new.

ASK THIS:

1. What sin or issue have I been hiding instead of confessing?
2. Have I mistaken covering up sin for moving on?
3. What "carpets" in my life need to be lifted before God?
4. How can I create space for honesty and healing this week?

DO THIS:

• Ask God to reveal anything you've been burying in your heart.
• Stop sweeping things under the rug—let grace do the cleaning.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, I've hidden what You want to heal. Expose my heart with Your light. Help me confess what I've buried and receive Your grace instead of guilt. Don't let me live with sin under the carpet—cleanse me completely. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Come to the Altar."

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

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is Judges 21:16-20.

Then the elders of the congregation said, "What shall we do for wives for those who are left, since the women are destroyed out of Benjamin?" And they said, "There must be an inheritance for the survivors of Benjamin, that a tribe not be blotted out from Israel. Yet we cannot give them wives from our daughters." For the people of Israel had sworn, "Cursed be he who gives a wife to Benjamin." So they said, "Behold, there is the yearly feast of the Lord at Shiloh, which is north of Bethel, on the east of the highway that goes up from Bethel to Shechem, and south of Lebonah." And they commanded the people of Benjamin, saying, "Go and lie in ambush in the vineyards and watch. — Judges 21:16-20

Israel is trapped in a cycle of compromise. They made one foolish vow, then another plan to fix the fallout, and now they're crafting another workaround to solve the mess they created. They're solving a spiritual problem with sinful logic.

It's a dangerous pattern: one bad decision leads to another. And instead of repenting, Israel rationalizes. They think their cleverness will fix what only God's grace can heal.

We've all done this. Maybe it's a bad business decision that we try to cover with another risky one—hoping to fix our losses instead of facing our mistakes. Or maybe it's a spiritual shortcut: compromising truth to keep peace, lying to protect reputation, or bending God's Word to justify our behavior. The deeper we dig, the more we sink.

This is the danger of human reasoning apart from divine guidance. When we try to solve sin with sin, we multiply destruction. The Israelites thought they were preserving the nation, but they were only proving how far they'd drifted from God.

This passage reminds us why we need a Righteous Judge. Because left to ourselves, we'll always judge wrongly. We justify what God condemns and condemn what God forgives. But there is One who judges rightly—Jesus Christ. He alone can make sense of our chaos and turn our regret into redemption.

You can face His judgment now—through repentance and faith—or later—by your own unrighteousness. The choice is yours.

Today, if you've been living on your own logic, lay it down. Ask Jesus to be your Lord and Savior. Let His righteousness cover your wrongs and guide your next decision.

ASK THIS:

1. Where have I tried to fix a spiritual problem with human reasoning?
2. What's one area where I need to stop rationalizing and start repenting?
3. How can I invite Jesus into my decision-making today?
4. Do I trust His righteousness more than my logic?

DO THIS:

• Identify one area where you've been solving problems without God's guidance.
• If you've never surrendered your life to Jesus, do it today.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, forgive me for trying to fix spiritual problems with sinful logic. Help me to stop leaning on my understanding and start trusting Your wisdom. I surrender to Your righteous judgment and receive the grace You offer through Jesus Christ. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Jesus, Have It All."

After 1960, America didn't just experience cultural drift—it experienced legal formation.

SUMMARY:

Over the last sixty years, a series of landmark legal decisions quietly reshaped America's moral framework—moving the nation away from historic Christian convictions on life, marriage, sexuality, and authority. These shifts didn't just change laws; they retrained conscience. And if the law has been forming minds, the church can no longer afford to stay silent.

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

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is Judges 21:13-15.

Then the whole congregation sent word to the people of Benjamin who were at the rock of Rimmon and proclaimed peace to them. And Benjamin returned at that time. And they gave them the women whom they had saved alive of the women of Jabesh-gilead, but they were not enough for them. And the people had compassion on Benjamin because the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of Israel. — Judges 21:13-15

Israel finally shows compassion—but it's a compassion built on tolerance, not truth. They pity the Benjamites, the very tribe they destroyed, but their compassion leads to compromise. They offer peace while perpetuating the very rebellion that tore the nation apart.

This is tolerant compassion—a mercy that ignores righteousness. It feels good in the moment, but erodes conviction over time. It's a love that refuses to speak the truth, fearing rejection more than rebellion.

We see this same pattern today. Our culture preaches compassion without boundaries. We're told to affirm rather than confront, to love without leading, to sympathize without speaking truth. And too often, the Church imitates it.

Take one example: modern parenting. Out of love, some parents avoid disciplining their kids, afraid of hurting their feelings or damaging the relationship. They mistake permissiveness for grace. But in doing so, they create confusion instead of character. Compassion without correction always leads to collapse.

The same is true in our faith. When we tolerate what God calls sin, we're not showing love—we're abandoning it. True compassion tells the truth even when it costs us something. Real love doesn't lower the standard; it leads others toward it.

God's compassion never compromises His holiness, and neither should ours. The most loving thing we can do is to speak truth with grace, extend mercy with conviction, and love others enough to call them toward repentance.

Don't settle for tolerant compassion. Be the kind of believer who loves with both courage and clarity.

ASK THIS:

1. Have I mistaken tolerance for compassion in my relationships?
2. What's one area where I've avoided truth to keep peace?
3. How can I show compassion without compromising conviction?
4. Who needs to experience both grace and truth from me today?

DO THIS:

• Identify one area where you've tolerated sin instead of confronting it.
• Pray for courage to speak truth in love this week.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, help me to love like You—full of grace and truth. Give me compassion that doesn't compromise and courage that doesn't condemn. Let my mercy lead others to Your righteousness. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Build My Life."

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

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is Judges 21:8-12.

And they said, "What one is there of the tribes of Israel that did not come up to the Lord to Mizpah?" And behold, no one had come to the camp from Jabesh-gilead, to the assembly. For when the people were mustered, behold, not one of the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead was there. So the congregation sent 12,000 of their bravest men there and commanded them, "Go and strike the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead with the edge of the sword; also the women and the little ones. This is what you shall do: every male and every woman that has lain with a male you shall devote to destruction." And they found among the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead 400 young virgins who had not known a man by lying with him, and they brought them to the camp at Shiloh, which is in the land of Canaan. — Judges 21:8-12

Israel acts again—but this time, their "solution" becomes another sin. They justify violence against Jabesh-gilead in the name of the Lord. They think they're defending God's honor, but they're only protecting their pride. They're fighting in God's name, but not His way.

This is what happens when holy causes lack holy character. When our zeal for righteousness outweighs our humility before God, we end up doing more harm than good.

We can fall into the same trap. We correct our kids, our spouse, our coworkers—even fellow believers—with truth, but without grace. We demand compliance, not conviction.

Take parenting, for example. We may demand respect but do it with the wrong tone and from the wrong heart. We call it discipline, but sometimes it's really control. We want peace in the home, but we're seeking comfort, not character. We want change, but not through compassion.

When we correct without compassion, we create scars instead of growth. The words may be true, but they wound because they weren't spoken from love.

The Israelites thought they were defending holiness, but they were only displaying hypocrisy. They were right about God's standards—but wrong about His heart.

God doesn't just care about what we do; He cares about how we do it. If truth is our sword, then love must be our handle—or else we cut people we were meant to heal.

So check your tone. Examine your heart. The goal isn't compliance—it's Christlike character. Don't fight in God's name without living in His way.

ASK THIS:

1. When have I fought for a good cause but in the wrong way?
2. How does my tone reveal my heart in conflict or correction?
3. Where might I be seeking compliance instead of compassion?
4. How can I reflect both truth and love in my leadership or parenting?

DO THIS:

• Ask a loved one how your tone impacts them—then listen with humility.
• When you feel righteous anger, slow down and seek God's heart before reacting.

PRAY THIS:

Lord, help me fight for truth without losing Your heart. Teach me to correct with compassion, to lead with humility, and to love like You. When I'm tempted to fight in Your name, remind me to walk in Your way. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"God, Turn It Around."