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When truth gets labeled as narrow or outdated.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"