What does this account help me think about or do?

In other words…

What is the “fruit” of following this account?

I seriously think about this all the time!

There have been some accounts I’ve started following because they seem funny…

But then I notice they make me feel more judgmental or rude at the expense of others.

There have been some accounts that I’ve started following because they seem like they have positive messages…

But then I realize they have me focusing on things that don’t matter way too much, or spending more money than I need to.

It’s the fruit!

That’s how I judge “the tree”.

“He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.” (Matthew 13:22)

Those thorns choke the goodness, and cause it to become unfruitful.

And on the flip side, I’ve followed so many amazing accounts that have helped me focus on becoming better, feeling connected, and laughing in uplifting ways!

“But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.” (Matthew 13:23)

The goodness even compounds!

The fruit is good, and it helps other fruit to grow, too!

I’m not going to lie, it can be really tricky to always clearly discern what is worthy of our time and what is not.

Work. A fun TV show. Working out. Social media. Perfectionism. Hobbies. Hanging out.

An easy measuring stick for me has been:

Does it cause me to become fruitful or unfruitful in the gospel of Jesus Christ?

And then, the answer seems clear.

Ye shall know them by their fruits.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Fruits and thorns  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Her response was, “I want to be an astronaut and a builder and a farmer and a cowboy.”

She is so excited to become all of those things.

And I will be there cheering her on whether she’s in a spaceship or a tractor!

Kids are so good at seeing their future potential.

They know they don’t know everything yet, and that’s okay!

They will learn!

But as we get older, it gets a little more difficult for some reason.

We have our “fixed mindset” that we are the way we are.

“Oh, I’m just not good at studying the scriptures.”

“I’m not a natural teacher.”

“It’s really hard for me to want to serve others.”

We are locking down our potential when we say or think these things.

Absolutely every skill worth having can be obtained with hard work and practice.

“Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.” (Matthew 13:31-32)

This littlest, tiniest seed doesn’t look special.

But someone with foresight can see the endless POTENTIAL in that one seed.

They know that it can become something useful, purposeful, fruitful.

Something that is able to serve and produce.

In what areas of your life are you still staying small?

Maybe it’s figuring out how to access your priesthood power, how to gain an education, or how to be kinder in all your interactions.

With Jesus, we don’t have to stay small.

We can grow into the biggest mustard tree we can be!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Staying small first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I recently heard a beautiful, heartfelt testimony of someone who talked about walking away from his life as an alcoholic to make covenants with God.

I’ve listened to a woman share about how physically difficult but mentally easy it was to give up smoking in order to join the church and be baptized.

But… what about the quieter, less obvious sins we each still struggle with?

“What does it mean to overcome the world? … It means being willing to “give away” even our favorite sins.” -President Russell M. Nelson

I’ve been fascinated by that phrase that President Nelson used:

Favorite sins.

Maybe it’s something you know you shouldn’t do, but do anyway.

Maybe it’s a sin you don’t really realize you are doing because it looks so acceptable, but when you reflect on what you need to change, it always comes to mind.

Maybe it’s something you should be doing to draw closer to the Lord and to keep your covenants, but you think it’s easier to not do it.

Maybe it’s taking serious things too casually.

Because Jesus teaches that becoming a member of the covenant kingdom of God is going to require us to give up certain things.

One parable:

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.” (Matthew 13:44)

And another parable:

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” (Matthew 13:45-46)

Selling all that we have.

Sacrificing to obtain covenant relationships with God.

But these people willingly do it. They wholeheartedly give up what was holding them back.

Those are the people who understand what’s at stake and what is available to us.

So what do you need to give up?

What can you sell in order to make room in your life for all that God’s kingdom holds?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Favorite sins first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Matthew 13:12 confused me at first when I read it.

Does this seem fair?!

“For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath”.

Those that have more are given more?

And those that have less lose what they have?⁣

It really does not seem fair or kind or loving.

But as I continued studying it, I realized that I think these are natural consequences.

When we “have more” faith,

more of the spirit’s presence in our lives,

more Christlike attributes,

or more gospel study…

We naturally “get more.”

We get more out of our study of parables,

more opportunities to serve,

more spiritual promptings,

and more familiar with the scriptures. ⁣

And the opposite is naturally true too.

If we don’t have faith, don’t make time to study the scriptures, or don’t keep the commandments to have the spirit with us…

Then we naturally lose opportunities to serve, lose spiritual promptings, and lose gospel knowledge. ⁣

These blessings and knowledge aren’t just being given to us or taken away from us by supreme beings who want to reward and punish us for fun.

These blessings and knowledge are naturally given or taken away based on our choices and actions.

I think it actually makes perfect sense!⁣

In fact, Joseph Smith’s translation of this verse reads:

“For whosoever RECEIVETH, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance; but whosoever CONTINUETH NOT TO RECEIVE, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.” (Matthew 13:12, JST)

We decide if we receive or not.

So if we have more, we get more.

What are you trying to “have more” of today?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Have more, get more first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.