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 1:26-29.

Some of the most defining moments in life aren't victories.
They're the moments you were overlooked.
Not chosen.
Not impressive enough.
Not the one anyone expected to matter.

Paul actually wants you to remember those moments —
because they're the key to seeing how God works.

For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. — 1 Corinthians 1:26–29

God doesn't choose people the way the world does.
He's not scanning for the polished, the pedigreed, or the popular.

He looks for the humble.
The ones without a platform.
The ones without the résumé.
The ones the world doesn't even see.

Why?
Because God loves turning the unpicked into the proven.

God picks the ones nobody picks to prove what only He can do.

That's the gospel pattern:

• The weak shame the strong.
• The foolish confront the wise.
• The overlooked carry the truth.
• The small things become his strategy.

You weren't chosen because you were qualified.
You were chosen because Christ was qualified.

And in Christ, your story becomes his showcase. Your weakness becomes his window. Your life becomes his evidence.

So don't resent the places where you feel overlooked.
Those are often the very places where God grips your life the tightest and displays his strength the loudest.

DO THIS:

Write down one weakness you usually hide — then ask God to use that exact weakness as a platform for His strength today.

ASK THIS:

1. Where do you feel overlooked — and how might God use that?
2. What weakness in your life might actually be a doorway for God's power?
3. Are you comparing yourself to others instead of trusting God's calling?

PRAY THIS:

Jesus, thank You for choosing what the world overlooks. Turn my weakness into a platform for Your strength. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Grace to Grace"

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 1:22-25.

Some people miss God's answer because it doesn't look like the answer they wanted.

The Jews wanted signs — power on full display.
The Greeks wanted wisdom — arguments polished like marble.
Everyone wanted something impressive.

But God didn't send a performer or a philosopher.
He sent a crucified Savior.

Not what they asked for… but God gave something better.

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. — 1 Corinthians 1:22–25

The cross offended the Jews because it looked too weak.
It confused the Greeks because it sounded too foolish.
But God wasn't trying to meet their expectations.

He was trying to save their souls.

What the world thought was weak was actually the strongest thing God ever did.

What the world thought was nonsense was actually the smartest plan ever made.

And that's the point Paul is driving home:

When people demand what they want, God often gives what they need. And what He gives is always better.

You don't always get the miracle you ask for.
You don't always get the explanation you crave.
You don't always get the clarity you think would settle your heart.

But God is not short-changing you.
God gave something better — and He still does.

He gives a Savior who breaks sin, not just symptoms.
A cross that delivers, not just dazzles.
A gospel that transforms, not just entertains.

What people expected would've helped for a moment.
What God provided changes eternity.

DO THIS:

Say this today: "Christ is the power and wisdom I need."

ASK THIS:

1. Where have you wanted God to work your way instead of His way?
2. What expectations of God do you need to surrender today?
3. When has God given you something better than what you asked for?

PRAY THIS:

Jesus, You are the wisdom and power of God. Help me trust Your plan even when it doesn't match my expectations. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Jesus Paid It All"

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 1:18-21.

Some things only make sense after they save your life.
Before that?
They sound like nonsense.

That's how Paul describes the cross.

To one group, the message of Jesus crucified is the power of God.
To another, it's foolishness — a ridiculous idea wrapped in impossible claims.

For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. — 1 Corinthians 1:18–21

Paul is drawing out a tension we still feel today:

The cross sounds like nonsense… until it saves you.

The world hears weakness.
You hear rescue.

The world sees defeat.
You see freedom.

The world mocks the message.
You're living proof of its power.

And that's the point Paul is making:
God didn't design salvation to impress the world.
He designed it to expose the emptiness of human wisdom and highlight the strength of divine grace.

Sometimes following Jesus is going to feel like stepping into "a sense of nonsense."
Not because the cross is foolish — but because the world around you is blind to its beauty.

So don't be surprised when obedience looks odd.
When forgiveness feels unreasonable.
When holiness makes you stand out.
When trust seems unexplainable.
When truth gets labeled as narrow or outdated.

You're not walking in nonsense.
You're walking in God's wisdom, even if the world can't see it yet.

What looks like nonsense to the world is the very thing God uses to save it.

So stay steady. Stay centered.
And let the message of the cross shape your courage today.

DO THIS:

Say this today: "The cross is God's power at work in me." Let this declaration reset your confidence when doubt creeps in.

ASK THIS:

1. Where do you feel pressured to make your faith look more "reasonable" to the world?
2. How has God used the message of the cross to rewrite your life?
3. What part of following Jesus feels most like "nonsense" to outsiders?

PRAY THIS:

Jesus, give me the courage to trust the power of Your cross even when it looks foolish to others. Help me walk in Your wisdom with boldness and joy. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Lead Me to the Cross"

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 1:10-17.

The argument started small.
They always do.

A comparison here. A subtle jab there. Then suddenly the whole church in Corinth was splintering into camps — Paul's camp, Apollos' camp, Peter's camp, even a "we only follow Christ" camp said with a smug twist.

Division never screams at first. It whispers. Then it fractures.

I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. What I mean is that each one of you says, "I follow Paul," or "I follow Apollos," or "I follow Cephas," or "I follow Christ." Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else. For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. — 1 Corinthians 1:10–17

Paul doesn't tiptoe around the problem.
He hits the heart of the issue.

Because when people start attaching their identity to personalities rather than to Christ, unity dies.

And Paul slices through the noise with one sharp question:

"Is Christ divided?"

Of course not.
But when Christ isn't at the center, people start choosing sides.

Here's the truth Corinth needed — and we need:

When Christ is at the center, we won't take sides.

• Pastors don't unite the church.
• Preferences don't unite the church.
• Personalities don't unite the church.

Only Jesus does that. So why are the names of your pastor, your preferences, and your personalities so important to you?

But when Christ becomes the main thing again.
The sides disappear.

Comparison fades.
Pride quiets.
Unity rises.

So let this settle deep today:

If Christ stays at the center, division loses its power. And said another way — because we need the reminder — When Christ is truly at the center, we refuse to take sides.

DO THIS:

Reach out to one believer today — someone outside your usual circle. Send encouragement. Build a bridge where a wall once stood.

ASK THIS:

1. Where have preferences quietly replaced Christ as the center?
2. Who do you tend to "follow" more closely than Jesus?
3. Is there a person you need to reconcile with for the sake of unity?

PRAY THIS:

Jesus, keep me centered on You alone. Quiet my pride, crush my comparisons, and make You the center of everything I follow and everything I love. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Make Room"

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."