Today's verse is a famous Book of Mormon scripture on the theme of weakness. The clarity almost takes your breath away.

So often, we wonder why bad things happen, why God allows certain things to affect or afflict us, and why every human yearns to be good but is held back by innate selfishness. This verse tells us that one reason for our weakness is so that we can learn humility.

Now, God doesn't want us to be the kind of people who are defeated, kicking dirt, and thinking, "Oh, I'm so weak. I'm useless. I'm garbage." That's not humility.

Today's Good Word gives us the opportunity to look at the concept of weakness from another angle than we have yet done. Let's start by placing the verse in context. Paul is writing to the Corinthian church, explaining that outsiders may look at their Christian faith as a sign of weakness.

Verse 18 says, "For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God." In other words, unbelievers will think that Christianity is silly. They'll think they know better. But believers are the ones who truly know better.

Have you ever been made to feel foolish for what you believe? Like you're somehow mentally deficient? Some people automatically think that religion is a crutch of some kind — believers are too weak to face life without faith. Christians are small-minded folks who secretly know that their faith isn't stout enough to withstand close scrutiny, so they never fully examine what they believe, afraid of what they'll find.

Today we bring you another verse on the theme of weakness. Do you remember the context of today's verse? Do you remember Paul? In this chapter, we learn that he had a "thorn in the flesh." We're not sure what kind of weakness this is, but Paul asked God three times to take it away. For whatever reason, this was not God's will. The Lord famously responds, "My grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness."

How did Paul respond to this news that his prayer wouldn't be answered? Did he pout and throw a tantrum? Did he lose faith? Did he go into denial?

Paul's response is well worth reading in full:

Today, we're starting a new theme for Good Word Fridays. The next set of scriptures that we'll be sharing with you is all about weakness. Of course, this is everyone's favorite because we all just love to think about our weaknesses, right?

Today's verse reminds us that our flesh is weak. What is our "flesh"? Does this have anything to do with being physically fit? Pleeeeease don't tell me I have to start exercising.

Exercising is a great habit, but that's not what today's verse is referring to. Our flesh is our sin nature. It's the fact that we're all human — not superhuman. We're made in the image of God — but we're not gods. No matter what we do, because we're human, we're going to fall short of the mark. There will be things we cannot do, acts we can never achieve, and sins that will always beset us.

Today is our last Good Word Friday on the topic of forgiveness. Micah 7 gives us a beautiful word picture. When God forgives us, He sends our sins to the bottom of the ocean. They're about as far away from us as they can get.

Here's another picture: Someone getting baptized. The person is fully immersed in water — where the sins "melt off and drown" — and then raised up clean in spirit.

Another picture: The entire earth covered in water with all the wickedness stifled beneath the waves. Yet the righteous float above unharmed.

Today's Good Word is a simple concept that even a child can understand. Yet, it's something that we are quick to forget in day-to-day life.

Chances are good that many of us beg God for forgiveness when we fall short, which is every day. Chances are also good that many of us are also refusing to forgive someone who hurt us in the past, whether we realize what we're doing or not.

Jesus spoke very clearly about this double standard. It's not tolerated.

Today we've got another Good Word on the theme of forgiveness. (Did you catch Sister Colleen's article about forgiveness yesterday?)

God is full of mercy toward us. How do we obtain God's mercy? What does He ask us to do?

Must we walk over hot coals? Must we fast for 40 days? Must we make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem? Must we give all our money and goods to the church?

God doesn't require ONLY outward effort that can be seen with the human eye. Instead, He ALSO requires an inner effort of the heart.

For the next month, you'll see Good Word Fridays that are all about forgiveness. There are many beautiful scriptures about God's forgiveness. This one from Psalm 130 paints a very interesting picture for us.

Can you imagine God keeping track of all our sins, like tally marks on a wall or a ledger filled with all the details of what we did wrong? Now, God is all knowing, so it's completely within His power to track every single way in which we've violated His statutes throughout our life. (Scary, yes.)

Today's Good Word is the last installment in our 1 Corinthians 13 series. This verse tells us that love believes all things and hopes all things.

Belief and hope are beautiful to think on. They are light. They soar; they float; they illuminate; they warm. Don't we all feel more hopeful when we feel loved? Don't we all find it easier to believe the best when love enters the picture?

God's love should call us to a stronger belief in His Gospel and a vigorous hope for what the future holds. Can you imagine? … God's love can cure doubt, anxiety, and despair.

Today's Good Word tells us that charity doesn't delight in wrongdoing. It rejoices in truth. How does this apply to our lives today?

Some people use "love" as a reason to excuse sin. For example, "I love this person too much to hurt him. If I tell him the truth, I will hurt him."

How about this one: "I'm doing [insert any sinful behavior] because I love the person I'm doing it for."

Here's one more: "But I really love [insert any sinful behavior]. How could it be bad if I love it (or need it) so much?"

Would you describe yourself as having a short fuse? Maybe you're the opposite, and it takes a tsunami to rock your boat.

No matter how quick or slow we are to anger, we all have some "red buttons" inside. You know the red button I'm talking about. You see it in an elevator, or cockpit, or alien spacecraft. It's a big, round, can't-miss-it red button, and there's a large warning next to it that says, "DO NOT PUSH." If you do, you'll regret it.

For the coming month of February, our Good Word Fridays are going to focus on 1 Corinthians 13 and the verses that describe love. We'll take a closer look at these verses and ponder what they're trying to tell us about charity (which is synonymous with love in this chapter).

Today's verse says that charity (or love) is longsuffering and kind.

Today's Good Word comes from the mouth of Alma, who is speaking to his son, Shiblon. Alma gives his son some great, godly advice. For example, serve God and you'll prosper. Trust God and you'll be delivered from trials.

Then, wise man that he is, he says, in paraphrase, "Don't think that I figured any of this out on my own. The Holy Spirit taught it to me. In fact, if I wasn't baptized, I wouldn't know any of it."

What is the "newness of the spirit" that today's Good Word is talking about? It's contrasted with the "oldness of the letter." What does it mean?

Back before Christ came, God's people were under the Law of Moses, and they were held to the letter of the law. When they made mistakes, they paid for those offenses by offering the animal and food sacrifices that the law prescribed.

Think of it like a list of rules. Next to each rule is a box. You put a check mark in that box if you complied with that rule or performed that duty. (Do you have a similar list in your planner or on an app?)

Today's Good Word invokes the "newness" that everyone seems to be focusing on this time of year. We open fresh new calendars. We set brand new goals. We see new styles and trends reflected in culture. It's a time of change.

Today, let's ask a question: What kind of "newness" is the Holy Spirit calling me to in 2019?" We're supposed to walk in newness of life, and this transformation from our old self to our new self is an incremental change that happens over the course of our lifetime. Each year, we have the opportunity to become even "newer" (more Christ-like) than the year before.