“When obedience ceases to be an irritant and becomes our quest, in that moment God will endow us with power.” – President Ezra Taft Benson⁣

“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” (1 John 5:3)

Or are they our quest and our desire? ⁣

I think this is a HUGE step in our spiritual maturity. ⁣

For me, my spiritual maturity has followed my physical maturity. ⁣

As a teenager, I remember seeing the commandments as lists of things that I can’t do and things that I should do. ⁣

I can’t see that movie. I have to go to church. I should be reading my scriptures. I shouldn’t listen to that music. I should be nice to everyone. ⁣

For me, I feel that each commandment has taken its own journey. ⁣

Watching bad movies slowly moved from being something I shouldn’t do to something that I have no desire to have in my life because I don’t want certain images or words in my mind. It’s literally not even a temptation for me anymore. ⁣

It ceased to be grievous and an irritant and began to be something I naturally and willingly do. ⁣

But there are other commandments where I still know I need to build my spiritual maturity. ⁣

I should reach out naturally and willingly to the people around me. And sometimes I do! I feel pure love and concern and reach out and serve! ⁣

But other times, I turn into a spiritual teenager and revert back to doing things because I should.

What a great concept that John asks us to reflect on!⁣

Which commandments are grievous to you right now?

How can we build that spiritual maturity and learn to love and seek after these commandments?⁣

As with many things, I think the answer is Jesus Christ. And I think John would agree with me in these chapters. ⁣

When we turn to our Savior more and more often, we gain His love for the people around us and we lose the desire to be “of the world”. ⁣

The Savior is our answer to building that spiritual maturity.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post The grievous commandments  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Ready for a quick English review?

Third person objective.

“Third person” means the narrator is someone not in the story.

So they use pronouns like “he”, “she”, or “they”.

⁣“Objective” means the narrator can’t see into anyone’s thoughts at all. ⁣

I taught my students that stories written in third person objective are just as if a drone was flying over and narrating everything it saw!

This drone narrator could describe actions…

But never anyone’s intentions or thoughts.

So if someone wrote a third-person objective story about my past week, would they be able to see me SHOWING my love to my family members, friends, and neighbors? ⁣

Without knowing my thoughts and intentions, what mountain of evidence could a “drone narrator” build that I love people around me?

John taught:

“My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:18)

Saying “I love you” and feeling love toward other people is amazing.

To be clear— I’m not discounting that, and I don’t think John is either.

But Jesus has also invited us to let those feelings change how we act!

We have to behave and serve and show our love in some sort of way.

So how would a “drone narrator” describe how you showed your love this week?

Cleaning up a child’s mess.

Having a smile on my face as I greet someone.

Sending a text to a friend.

Responding with kindness when I could justifiably be rude.

Buying a present I know they’ll love.

Dropping off a treat at someone’s door.

And how could we find ways to SHOW our love even more?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Third Person Objective first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

But one thing that I’ve tried that’s been successful at times is that I will whisper in my kids’ ears:

“Jesus loves you!”

“Jesus loves Mommy.”

“Jesus loves grandma.”

And on and on.

As I’ve said this over the years, my kids have started saying it back to me.

It always makes my heart happy to hear one of my kids say, “Jesus loves me!”

I hope they never forget that. ⁣

God and our Savior are one in purpose, and their essence is LOVE. ⁣

God will love my little kids constantly and perfectly their whole life here on earth. ⁣

God will love them when they make good decisions. ⁣

God will love them when they make very poor choices on purpose. ⁣

God will love them when they ace their high school classes. ⁣

God will love them when they fail a huge test. ⁣

God will love them when they try something new and scary. ⁣

God will love them when they waste a whole bunch of time. ⁣

God will love them when they serve in big callings with grace. ⁣

God will love them when they don’t have an important calling in a ward and feel forgotten. ⁣

God will always love them because they are His.

He is the perfect exemplar of unconditional love and His love for them will never change. ⁣

We just have to recognize that His love is there for US, even when we don’t feel like we deserve it.

Even when we feel like it is impossible.

Even when we are filled with shame and disappointment. ⁣

His love is always there. ⁣

“God is love.” (1 John 4:8)

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post God is love  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

The scriptures warn us not to “love the world”.

But why would this be a warning for us?

I think it’s because every second of time we spend loving the world is a second less to spend loving our family members and neighbors.

Every dollar we hoard because we love money is one less dollar we are willing to depart with as tithes and donations. ⁣

Every moment we focus on our own vanity is a moment taken away from worshiping the Lord and serving others.

John taught,

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15)

When we love the Lord first,

And we love our families and our neighbors,

Then volunteering to donate our precious time and resources seems a lot easier.

If you find that a love of the world might be preventing you from serving God fully…

You are not alone.

This can be tough to eliminate completely while living in such a mortal world.

But we can all try starting small.

What is one tiny way to give up something “worldly” to spend more meaningful time worshiping the Lord and loving your family?

I think that’s an especially interesting question at this time of the year.

It can be powerful and spiritually rejuvenating to sacrifice some of the flashy stuff.

To intentionally sacrifice.

In order to give more love.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Don’t love the world  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.