But it was actually Sister Nelson’s words before the prophet spoke that I still remember.

She shared about her experience with her husband’s recent calling as prophet and president of the church.

And she even shared a few experiences where she knew that he was having profound spiritual experiences or receiving revelation.

Regardless of her exact words, the distinct impression I received that evening was:

Christ does not hide Himself from His prophets.

I thought about this a lot as I read Nephi testifying that he had seen his Redeemer. And that he knew Jacob had seen his Redeemer as well. And then he quoted Isaiah who speaks about seeing his Savior.⁣

“And now I, Nephi, write more of the words of Isaiah… for he verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him. And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him;” (2 Nephi 11:2-3)

Christ has not hidden Himself from His prophets in any dispensation.

I have felt the Spirit witness that this is true.⁣

But I also know that Christ does not hide Himself from any of us who truly seek Him.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie famously said in his final talk in April 1985: “In a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears. ⁣

“But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer”. ⁣

Do we KNOW who our Savior is, just like Isaiah, and Nephi, and Jacob, and our modern prophets? ⁣

Would seeing our Savior today change our faith, or just solemnly confirm what we already know?⁣

Isaiah, as complicated as his writings can be, always centered his prophecies around CHRIST. ⁣

What a pure reminder of our most important priority.

Not serving in a calling, not having perfect church attendance, not staying up on Come Follow Me. ⁣

But KNOWING who our Savior is. Recognizing His love. Praising Him for His miracles.

And when we are able to find that knowledge here in this mortal state, imagine the joy that the reunion will bring in the next life!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Isaiah, Nephi, and Jacob first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Just imagine.

Imagine you had to send many children to the earth.

And these children wouldn’t remember anything.

But you would hope they would still choose to be good people and learn about truth. 

Doesn’t that seem like an overwhelming task?!

How could these children ever possibly learn truth and return to heaven?!

Well… think about everything our Heavenly Father has given us to succeed.

He gave us scriptures filled with doctrine and faith-filled stories.

He gave us prophets and apostles to spread inspired messages.

We are born into families.

He gave us the gift of the Holy Ghost to be guided, comforted, and taught. . .

I could go on forever.

He has given us SO. MUCH. HELP.

And yet, it’s not enough for some.

And God weeps in heaven, “What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it?” (2 Nephi 15:4)

God has given us what He can without completely removing the element of faith.

And while some people completely overlook the help…

Are we unintentionally leaving some of His divine help on the table?

Is He looking at us having a terribly frustrating day, hoping that we will open the scriptures that evening so He can send us a message of comfort through His word?

Let’s dive in.

Let’s immerse ourselves in all the resources, help, and support He has provided.

He’s done more than His fair share of His part.

It’s our time to show we can do ours.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post What more could He have done? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

A couple people brought delicious homemade dinners that we were so grateful for. ⁣

But my visiting teacher texted me and said:

“Hey, cooking isn’t really my thing. But I’m gonna grab Cafe Rio for you guys! Text me what you and Kyle want and I’ll bring it by at 5!”⁣

This blew my mind!

Because cooking really isn’t my thing either.

But I had used this as an excuse to not volunteer to bring people dinner. ⁣

Instead, she still volunteered. And then made it work within what she was comfortable with. ⁣

Her example has stuck with me. ⁣

There is SO much power in volunteering to help and serve.

Isaiah is a great example of this – always willing to serve and sacrifice in the ways the Lord asked him to.

“Here am I; send me.” (2 Nephi 16:8)

But isn’t it easy to NOT volunteer?⁣

Because we aren’t TECHNICALLY saying, “no”. We just aren’t the one who is saying, “yes”. ⁣

Cooking isn’t my thing. I’m not great at watching kids. I can’t even clean my own house! I’ve got too many things going on with my family. ⁣

We say these excuses and then miss out on rich opportunities to serve and connect with others. We hold back on giving them blessings, and in return, we miss out on blessings of serving. We miss out on love. ⁣

Instead, my visiting teacher taught me that I can still acknowledge my preferences and weaknesses…⁣

… but then I can come up with a creative way to still make it work. ⁣

I don’t like cooking… but I’ll buy you dinner. ⁣

I don’t enjoy cleaning… but I’ll watch your kids so you can have some peace. ⁣

I’m really busy with my family… but I’m going to bring my whole family to help you so that we can all still spend time together.

It’s so important to know how to say “no” when we need to, but are we getting a little too comfortable with avoiding saying “yes”?⁣

Here am I! Send me.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Willing to volunteer first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I knew quite a few wonderful people and great family friends who lived in those houses.

But as we drove past them…

My friend in my car started making rude statements about “all these rich people”.

She started sharing all her judgments.

I felt so weird about what she was saying…

Because it didn’t align with what I knew about the generous and loving people who lived there.

It wasn’t until years later that I started learning more about pride.

I had always thought pride was a sin when people think look “down” on others.

But I slowly realized that pride is shown whenever we try to separate ourselves from others.

“The great enemy of charity is pride…. Pride exaggerates its own strength and ignores the virtues of others.” – Elder Uchtdorf

This could mean thinking we are better than others for what we DO have… or what we DON’T have.

But it can also mean finding fault in others.

Withholding praise.

Being jealous.

Being disobedient.

Causing contention.

These are all sneaky ways that pride shows up in our lives.

We read, “For the day of the Lord of Hosts soon cometh. . . upon the proud and lofty, and upon every one who is lifted up, and he shall be brought low.” (2 Nephi 12:12)

The Lord expects us to get rid of the pride in our hearts.

But He can also help us in the process.

Jesus can help us see each other on the same level.

He can fill our hearts with love and compassion.

He can help us recognize that our current bank accounts, homes, jobs, callings, political views, or clothing have nothing to do with who we really are in the eternities.

And He can fill our hearts with a recognition of all the places we try to separate ourselves from others, where we’ve allowed our pride to seep into our being.

And most importantly, Jesus can help us work to eliminate our pride, one step at a time.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post THOSE rich people first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.