Instead, the usher actually drew a comparison to the tabernacle of ancient Israel. ⁣

The Israelites set the pattern of using the best materials that they could, spending countless hours preparing every detail, as a symbol of their sacrifice and dedication to the Lord! ⁣

If the tabernacle was going to be used to worship the Lord, then they wanted to put forth their best effort in every single detail. ⁣

“And he overlaid it with pure gold within and without, and made a crown of gold to it round about.” (Exodus 37:2) ⁣

This lesson from my temple open house usher really stuck with me. ⁣

Am I giving my absolute best to the Lord as a symbol of how I feel about Him? ⁣

Or is He getting my leftovers from whatever else I have going on that day? ⁣

Don’t get me wrong, life is busy and crazy and insane. ⁣

With everything I have going on as a mortal human being, it’s not really possible to spend all day every day giving Him my best. ⁣

And I hope those questions don’t weigh you down with shame. ⁣

Instead, I hope they inspire you to do a little better in some small way. ⁣

Can I give more of my best self to the Lord?⁣

Can I make sure He isn’t ever the one getting pushed off my to-do list due to over scheduling?⁣

Can I give Him time when I know my mind is in the best shape it can be?⁣

Do I make sacrifices to give Him time?⁣

My little inspiration, my little nudge from the Spirit in response to these questions probably looks different than yours. ⁣

“My best” changes every day. ⁣

But just like ancient Israel, I think I can do a little better at choosing to give my best to the Lord as a symbol of what He means to me.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

“I’m reading my scriptures each day, so why am I still struggling to be patient with my kids?”

“I followed that very specific prompting, so why did that friend start pulling away from me?”

I’ve thought these questions, and many more like them, at various points in my life.

Basically, they are all a form of:

If I’m being loyal to God, why aren’t the circumstances of my life awesome?

The Israelites were really good at looking at their outside circumstances.

And when they looked at what they had physically been through… boy, was there a lot to complain about.

“Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!… were it not better for us to return into Egypt?” (Numbers 14:2-3)

They had endured so much since leaving Egypt, so wouldn’t it have been better to just endure the hard things they had to face in Egypt?!

Why did life seem to be getting harder and more difficult, even though they were following the Lord and the prophet?

Oh children of Israel, I can relate to that question.

And this is why I love studying the scriptures.

Because from far away, I can see the answer that the Lord wanted to teach the Israelites.

It seems crystal clear and obvious.

And then I go… “Oh yeah. Duh. He’s doing the same thing in my life, too.”

God doesn’t want us to measure the success of our life by our circumstances.

He never has, in Old Testament times, New Testament times, Book of Mormon times, and modern times.

So why would I think my life would be the exception?

Boom. I love studying the scriptures for this exact reason. I see the PATTERNS the Lord has worked with for centuries.

Why does the Lord care if we keep His commandments with sincere intent?

Because He cares about the journeys that our hearts take.

Are we becoming more devoted? More dependent? More likely to align our will to His?

That’s what a successful disciple’s life has looked like, dispensation after dispensation.

He wants to see where our hearts go and what they become.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Journeys and patterns first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

To always be led by the Lord?

To know where He wants you to be and where He wants you to go next?

Okay, okay, I see where this spiritual thought is going.

The Lord didn’t just lead the children of Israel and then tell future generations that we are out of luck from having that same guiding influence.

He may have led them in a more physical sense.

But He undoubtedly still leads us today.

I mean, General Conference is the perfect weekend to reflect on that.

“And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night”. (Exodus 13:21)

Day and night, His light and His guidance are there.

Now, seeing His hand, finding His guidance, listening to the whispers of the Spirit… I think that is part of our challenge now.

The other part is humbling ourselves enough to want to look for the guidance in the first place.

So here’s what I’ve been reflecting on:

1. Am I humble enough to actually seek God’s guidance and will in my life, or am I plowing forward just with what I want?
2. How am I able to listen and hear when I do receive divine guidance?

Those answers change around day by day.

But if I keep the questions in mind, I find that my heart is led a little easier.

Molded a little more thoroughly.

And turned toward God’s guiding cloud and fire, both day and night.

He still leads and guides us. Where have you felt led this weekend?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Leading and lighting the way  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.