Why did Peter walk on water?

Why did he leave the boat?

Why did he think he could?

“We can’t know for certain, but perhaps Peter understood that the Son of God came NOT JUST TO DO wonderful things for the people but to EMPOWER people like Peter to do wonderful things too…⁣” -Come Follow Me Manual

This weekend in General Conference will be packed with goodness.

We will hear invitations.

We will probably hear stories of miracles.

We will listen to women and men who have devoted their lives to serving Jesus.

But this weekend isn’t meant for us to just listen.

We can, like Peter, turn it into an invitation to act!

To take part in the gathering of Israel.

To help those who suffer.

To wake up and do something more than dream of our mansions above.

“And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.” (Matthew 14:28-29)

Jesus doesn’t want us to just be observers and listeners in the gospel.

I mean, we do need to listen. By all means, sit on the couch and watch 10 hours of church this weekend. It’s awesome.

But then we act!

We have the faith to get up and act on what the Spirit prompts us to do!

Feel overwhelmed with a million things you want to do that all seem good?

Pray about it.

No really.

The Spirit has always helped me focus my mind to what my next step needs to be when I try to become perfect in one fell swoop.

We can go through life and be acted on.

Or we can wake up, take that frightening but exhilarating step out of the boat, and be empowered to join with Jesus in changing everything.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Peter and General Conference  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It wasn’t enough to feed the crowd!

But then… it was.

It was enough.

Actually, it wasn’t even just “enough”.

“Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.” (John 6:13)

It was MORE than enough!

There were baskets full of pieces that were leftover.

Have you ever felt like you weren’t enough? Or that you weren’t doing enough?

There are way too many things that I feel like I’m “supposed” to be doing.

And I’m not doing anything really well.

From parenting, to being a good friend, to fulfilling my calling, to keeping an organized home…

I don’t feel like I’m doing enough.

But the 5 loaves of bread and the 2 fish were never meant to be enough to feed the crowd all on their own.

They needed Jesus to fulfill their purpose.

And we do, too.

We can remember Jesus, think of Him, pray often, read His words, and do as He would do.

Every time I try to do this again, I remember I don’t have to do everything all on my own.

I will never “be enough” or “do enough” with my own merits.

I need Him.

I need someone to multiply my efforts until they don’t just become exactly what is needed.

They become more than what is needed.

With Jesus, you are more than enough.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post More than enough  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Do you know what I think SHOULD be the easiest part of our baptismal covenants…

But is actually so difficult for our mortal brains?!

To ALWAYS REMEMBER Jesus.

That is WAY more difficult to do in practice than it may seem.

We have endless things our brains can dwell on: to-do lists, food, desires, TV shows, conversations, plans…

And yet, Jesus invites us to always remember Him.

I love the story of Peter walking on water for more reasons than I can say.

But I also love so much what happened when Peter starts to sink into the water.

“But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

“And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him”. (Matthew 14:30-31)

How quickly did Jesus react after Peter cried out to the Lord?

IMMEDIATELY.

Not immediately when Peter started sinking.

But immediately after Peter cried out for help.

I think Jesus is ready to help us. He wants to let us feel peace. He wants to take away our fears and anxieties.

But He won’t infringe on our agency.

Those who have made baptismal covenants know that we get the extreme privilege of having the constant companionship of the Spirit, a literal member of the Godhead who is ready to prompt and warn and guide and teach.

And what is our role?

What is the small action that we need to do in order to hold up part of our end of the covenant?

We need to always remember Jesus.

When we talk with a friend, while running errands, while putting your kid to bed, while going to youth activities, while planning out the week…

Always remember Jesus.

Because when we always remember Jesus, we are perfectly poised to call upon JESUS when we start to drown.

We don’t look back to the ship, we don’t ask our friends, we don’t try to trust our own strength.

We ASK for help from Jesus because He’s already been in our mind.

Cry out to Jesus for help, and He will immediately save in the exact way we need it.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

Artwork: “Hand of God” by Yongsung Kim

The post Always remember, and Jesus saves  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I mean, we are talking about the literal Creator and Prince of Peace.

He could have said:

“Hey, I’m in charge. Can you find food anywhere at all? I’ll perform a miracle and multiply the food for the group.”

Or even:

“I will just create and multiply the food here and now.”

But instead, here’s what happened:

“When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?

“And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do.” (John 6:5-6)

Christ asked Philip a question He already knew the answer to.

Jesus already knew the best way forward!

But instead:

• He pointed out the problem to His disciples. ⁣
• He asked them a question about how they could solve it. ⁣
• He listened to Philip’s answer.
• He listened to Andrew point out that someone had brought five loaves and two fishes. ⁣

And then He asked them to bring the food to Him.

He blessed it and told them to pass it to the crowd. ⁣

Imagine the apostles’ experiences!

They were thinking and problem-solving through every scenario.

And then they finally realized there was no other way than to expect a miracle.

And then imagine them feeling the miracle!

Imagine them passing full baskets around and collecting illogical amounts of leftovers.

That slow realization that something amazing was happening.

What a great leader Jesus is!

He included His disciples.

He asked them questions.

And then He ultimately led and performed a miracle that touched the disciples even more because Jesus had included them in the process. ⁣

I’ve learned countless times that God does not care about the most efficient way for things to happen.

He wants people involved.

He wants hearts changed.

He wants everyone to experience the miracle!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The best leader first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.