When I pray for more opportunities to serve, I’m usually thinking about friends and neighbors who might need my help. ⁣

I feel like it’s almost “cheating” to count serving my own family members – isn’t that just something expected?⁣

Of course I’m gonna feed my kids, and change diapers, and clean up spills, and drive everyone to school, and play even when I need a nap…

It’s just what I do!⁣

But I’ve found a beautiful paradigm shift when I allow myself to think of it all as service. ⁣

“Therefore, I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works”. (Mosiah 5:15)

It all is good works and service!

And when I think of it that way, I feel so much more LOVE. ⁣

I feel so much more love for my kids and my husband who I’m serving.⁣

And I feel so much more love and gratitude to my Heavenly Father. ⁣

It gives meaning behind the action. ⁣

It makes cleaning up another spill and getting up to play another game of tag purposeful and loving rather than routine and mundane. ⁣

I allow myself to view every little thing I do for someone else as “service”, and I realize I’m not “cheating the system” at all. ⁣

This IS the system. ⁣

Whether you live with one other person, roommates, or a big family – we are created to love the people we are most closely surrounded by. ⁣

And so I continue to love and serve. ⁣

I’m abounding in good works in my home, and so my home is abounding with love. 

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Service in the home counts  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

She is super chill and great otherwise, but she went through a period of about six months where she would just cry every time we sat down in a pew.

One Sunday in particular was really rough, with me getting up and down multiple times to take her out and calm her down.

It was pretty loud.

I just felt exhausted.

Later, after church, there was a knock on our door.

Someone I don’t know very well showed up at our doorstep with cupcakes and a sweet, supportive message.

I was overwhelmed with gratitude.

And I felt her love, even though we hadn’t talked much before.

As soon as she left, I thought about how meaningful her service was.

And my mind went to a friend that was going through a rough time.

I texted her, and we had a nice conversation filled with sympathy and connection.

Paul wrote: “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.” (Hebrews 10:24)

How do we provoke each other to love more?

The answer to that is pretty easy when I think about what other people have done that helped inspire me to do good works:

They’ve loved ME and done good works for ME!

When I am served, I want to serve more.

When I am loved, I want to love more.

We can start a chain reaction of goodness and love when we choose to act as the Savior did.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Provoke to good works first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

He wrote a nice summary of some of the good things he had learned from his experience reading the book.

And I was… SHOCKED at how casual the article was!

I was ready to read that this pastor had read the Book of Mormon, felt the Spirit, and immediately gotten baptized.

But instead it was a nice review, as if he had read a self-help book.

The Book of Mormon has been so transformational in my life that it’s hard for me to imagine someone else reading it and not also being transformed.

But it’s true–

Religious scholars and curious critics have read the Book of Mormon and not been converted.

So thinking logically, this means that it’s not just the act of reading our scriptures that strengthens our testimonies and brings us closer to the Savior.

There has to be something else!

Paul taught:

“Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” (Galatians 2:16)

We aren’t saved or “justified” by the act of reading our scriptures.

We don’t feel the Spirit of God changing our hearts just because we opened a book and read a little bit.

Instead, we need to open our scriptures with FAITH in Jesus Christ!

We open that book with the intent to grow our testimonies.

We read the verses with confidence that the Spirit will show our minds exactly what we need to learn.

We search the Book of Mormon, desperately longing for our hearts to soften.

It’s our FAITH that makes all the difference as we perform GOOD WORKS.

And this goes for everything: attending the temple with faith in Jesus, paying tithing with faith in Jesus, ministering with faith in Jesus, praying with faith in Jesus…

Our faith in Jesus Christ is what makes all the difference.

And it’s what turns the scriptures from books filled with ancient stories to living, powerful words straight from God!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post How could the book not transform you?! first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

When we fall short of a goal, we tend to throw the whole thing out for a bit.

It’s human nature for many of us.

We don’t have time for our full workout, so we just skip the whole thing anyway.

And we do it with gospel habits, too!

“I’m way too tired to study a whole chapter of scriptures tonight so I’ll just go to bed and start again on Sunday.”

Paul gives us some really powerful counsel:

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord…” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

Paul gives us counsel to be STEADFAST and UNMOVABLE in the work of the Lord.

But what about when we fall short of our habits and goals?!

I like to think of this scripture as two parts:

First, Paul is counseling us to be steadfast and unmovable— in Jesus.

Be so firm in our commitment to Jesus Christ that there is NOTHING that anybody could say or do to take that away from us.

And then, Paul’s asking us to abound in good works.

Do good things as much as we can!

It doesn’t need to be an “all or nothing” approach.

We miss one month of our temple attendance, we just try again the next time.

We read just a couple scriptures as our eyes are closing because we want to invite the Spirit into our lives as much as possible.

We can’t give our full commitment to our calling, so we just show up and give what we can.

The Lord isn’t looking for perfection, so He doesn’t want us to throw our efforts away when they aren’t perfection, either.

Be steadfast in Jesus.

Be unmovable in our testimonies.

And then fill our lives with the good works that we are able!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Steadfast and unmovable first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“Love at Home”. ⁣

NOT “Love One Another” like I had practiced. ⁣

I hurriedly glanced at the program next to me to confirm that yes, he had announced it correctly. ⁣

I had no time to even panic – I just turned to hymn 294 and started the introduction. ⁣

It was my grandpa’s funeral a few years ago, and I had been asked to play the organ for the service.

I had snuck into the chapel the night before to practice on the organ.

And I had diligently practiced “Love One Another” over and over again until the notes, registration, and volume were perfect.

So in that moment when I realized I had practiced the wrong “love” hymn, I started to pray.

I immediately and silently pleaded with the Lord to help me transfer the practice time and energy from the one hymn to the new one. ⁣

“Love at Home” actually isn’t that difficult of a hymn to play, but I had the most beautiful experience.

I KNEW that everything was going to be okay.

I felt strength and confidence in my playing.

I’m sure my dear musical Grandpa, my Heavenly Father, and maybe even others were supporting me. ⁣

To me, THAT is GRACE. ⁣

Divine assistance to carry us through our human frailties.

(I checked my phone afterwards— the correct hymns had been sent to me, I just read it wrong!)⁣

I put in the practice time – that is GOOD WORKS. ⁣

I asked for divine help once I realized my mistake – that is FAITH. ⁣

I was able to play a song flawlessly with zero practice, resulting in a beautiful spiritual experience for myself, and in a reverent introduction for the congregation celebrating my Grandpa’s life – that is GRACE.

“By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” (Romans 5:2)

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Grace learned at an organ  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Here’s a thought that’s been on my mind:

We know that we are going to be judged by our works.

And I hear people talking about this idea all the time:

That they feel like they are drowning because they just can’t seem to be consistent with their scripture study or prayer habits.

So if we are going to be judged by our works, that puts a lot of pressure on us when we feel like we are constantly falling short in the things we are able to do.

But here’s what we learn in D&C 137:9.

“For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts.”

Did you hear that last part? Yes, we are judged according to our works, but it is “according to the desire of their hearts”.

To me, this isn’t an excuse, but instead a beautiful showing of mercy.

How many times have I been stopped from going to welcome a new member at church by a kid who needed me immediately?

I missed out on some good works, but what was the desire of my heart?

Or how many times have I been trying to read my scriptures as my eyes keep closing after a long day?

I missed out on some good works, but what was the desire of my heart?

God sees and understands EVERYTHING.

He isn’t keeping track of your daily scripture study as tick marks for or against you.

He has just asked you to come closer to His Son, Jesus Christ, and He is happy to see any good works you choose to do to bring you closer.

And He also completely understands the desires of your heart when you fall short of what you wanted to do.

He sees both. The actions, and the desires.

How merciful is our God!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Works and desires first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

That takes a whole lot of faith to believe.

Not everything that I have to deal with is good.

Some things are lame, some are frustrating, and some are just heartbreaking.

There is sad and tired and confused and bored.

Not all of it is good.

But, do I believe that it actually all works together for my good?

Honestly… why not believe that?!

What a fun idea, really.

All the lame and disappointing and frustrating is actually for my good.

For my development.

For my glorious future. 

Fear not, the Lord is on my side.

Life’s hills, no matter how steep, seem a little more manageable because I know how this all ends.

Spoiler alert!

This all is going to be okay.

Not even just okay, but it will make me good.

It doesn’t take away the sad and the tedious and the frustrating.

But it doesn’t add to it either.

It’s a little lighter of a burden to bear.

I continue doing my part the best I can.

I search the scriptures and other fountains of doctrine diligently.

I pray as often as I can.

And I believe in Jesus Christ and believe what He has promised me.

And I won’t just randomly have things go my way.

No, the orchestrater of the universe has promised me that all things will actually work for my good.

So I’ll keep my faith.

“This is rough, but this is working for my good. I’m going to be okay in the end.”

Happy Studying!

–Cali Black

The post It’s all for my good first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I had been studying the assigned scriptures already all week long, and I had loved them.

Even though we were starting with the New Testament, that first week in January actually had us studying from various books of scripture about being self-motivated in our scripture study.

I pulled out my phone that Sunday morning to text some Young Women and remind them to study the assigned Come, Follow Me scriptures.

Suddenly, I had the thought to search for an Instagram account that they could follow.

I pictured some kind of account where someone was posting little spiritual thoughts each day inspired by that week’s scriptures.

I searched on Instagram and… nothing.

All of a sudden, a thought popped into my mind: “Maybe YOU should start the account.”

I’m pretty sure I laughed. I’m not really an “Instagram” type person.

But… it also kinda sounded fun, PLUS I have always loved talking about the scriptures and sharing personal applications.

But wait… that would be weird to start an Instagram account and like, ask people to follow me.

Should I really do this?!

And then guess what scripture popped into my mind?

Now, I want to be clear. Guess which scripture the Holy Spirit brought to my mind as a way of communicating a powerful lesson that I needed to hear immediately?

It was one of the assigned scriptures that I had already been studying that introductory week.

Doctrine and Covenants 58:26-27:

“For behold, it is not meet that I should command in all things…

“Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;”

It suddenly seemed so simple.

Would this be a righteous thing that would put good into the world?

Would I be using my own free will to be anxiously engaged in God’s work?

Then I didn’t need to be commanded to do it.

I could just decide to do it, purely because I wanted to, and because it was good.

So I opened up Instagram, and started @comefollowmestudy.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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

“It also essentially entails doing good, being good, and becoming better.” – Elder David A. Bednar

Elder Bednar echoes what Moroni ends with so perfectly.

In order to become perfected in Christ, we have to deny ourselves of all ungodliness.

We need to repent and turn away from sin.

Work on overcoming weakness and stand strong against temptation.

But just staying clean isn’t going to get us to “perfection”.

We then have to love God with all our might, mind, and strength.

We have to get up and do good things.

We have to serve, to listen to promptings, to love each other.

Our hearts have to change.

And that’s how we become perfect.

Personally, I feel like my focus changes all the time.

Some days, I’m working on getting rid of sin.

And other days, I’m working to do good with a willing and loving heart.

And being perfected in Christ requires both.

I know we talk about how we can’t become perfect here on earth.

But I do believe that we can become more and more perfected every day.

It’s just about keeping both parts of the equation in mind:

Getting rid of the bad.

And coming to Christ with the good.

And once we show that we can do this in small increments, our Savior shares His grace to slowly make us more and more like Him.

To perfect ourselves in Christ.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Perfected in Christ first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I have realized recently that I like to give myself a lot more credit for service I do outside of my home, rather than inside.

When I pray for more opportunities to serve, I’m usually thinking about friends and neighbors who might need my help.

I feel like it’s almost “cheating” to count serving my own family members – isn’t that just something expected?

Of course I’m gonna feed my kids, and change diapers, and clean up spills, and play even when I need a nap… it’s just what I do!

But I’ve found a beautiful paradigm shift when I allow myself to think of it all as service.

I feel so much more LOVE.

I feel so much love for my kids and my husband who I’m serving.

And I feel so much love and gratitude to my Heavenly Father.

It gives meaning behind the action.

It makes cleaning up another spill and getting up to play another game of tag purposeful and loving rather than routine and mundane.

I allow myself to view every little thing I do for someone else as “service”, and I realize I’m not “cheating the system” at all.

This IS the system.

Whether you live with one other person, roommates, or a big family – we are created to love the people we are most closely surrounded by.

And so I continue to love and serve.

I’m abounding in good works in my home, and so my home is abounding with love.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Abounding in good works first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.