I also remember him teaching me that when I was dunked under the water, it was as if I was being buried and then coming back to life, just like Jesus. ⁣

I thought that was pretty cool, because it’s as if we were acting out what was happening! ⁣

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized that a lot of ordinances are accompanied with physical actions.⁣

Like when we take the bread and water for the sacrament.

But I’ve also learned that the action itself isn’t what causes me to make a covenant.⁣

Just eating bread and water itself isn’t what’s renewing my covenants each week.

Yes, ordinances are formal acts that are super important. ⁣

But we also have to make sure our mind is engaged with what we are actually promising.

Our heart and our mind have to be involved with some level of intention. ⁣

When Moses was instructing the children of Israel on how to perform the Passover to avoid their firstborn sons dying, he referred to the act of painting their door frames with lamb’s blood as an “ordinance”. ⁣

So the Passover was an ordinance for the children of Israel! ⁣

The physical act of what they did was so important… but so was what their hearts were doing at the same time. ⁣

Look at what they were thinking about as they reflected on this ordinance: ⁣

“It is the sacrifice of the Lord’s passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt… And the people bowed the head and worshipped.” (Exodus 12:27)⁣

They worshipped. ⁣

I think it is so cool that so many ordinances have physical acts associated with them that can help us ponder even deeper on the covenants being made. ⁣

But I also know that just “going through the motions” isn’t what saved the firstborns during the Passover.⁣

And “going through the motions” isn’t what will help our hearts become molded to what the Lord wants them to be. ⁣

The sacred action + engaging our minds = true worship and lasting change!⁣

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Why ordinances?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“Blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith; for I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me, saith the Lord.” (D&C 124:15⁣)

This verse is just so tender and personal. ⁣

God really knows our heart. ⁣

Like, He REALLY knows. ⁣

Deep down, He knows what we love most and what we want. ⁣

He knows the good intentions and the selfish intentions. ⁣

He knows the true weaknesses, and He knows the continued excuses. ⁣

He sees us as we really are. ⁣

That is… a vulnerable realization, right?⁣

Like, there isn’t hiding a thing from Him. ⁣

(Just a reminder that He sees all this and still loves you completely and isn’t expecting a perfect heart right now.)⁣

But I think that’s what makes the Lord’s comment about Hyrum Smith so beautiful. ⁣

He could see that Hyrum wanted to do what was right. ⁣

He had good intentions, he had integrity. ⁣

And he loved, truly truly loved, righteous things. ⁣

Yet, I haven’t heard any reports that Hyrum was a perfect man. ⁣

The Lord isn’t saying that everything that Hyrum DID was good. Or that everything he SAID was good. ⁣

His intentions and his heart were always good. ⁣

(Good and perfect are very different.)

So how can I become focused on turning my heart to be a little more righteous today? ⁣

How can I get rid of the things in my heart that I know aren’t the best for me? ⁣

What do I truly love?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post A good heart first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Okay that was kind of a trick question.

In conversations I’ve had with other people, I’ve learned that there are some

BIG misconceptions about the Law of Consecration.

The Law of Consecration is in full effect today for those who have made sacred covenants inside of the temple.

Just as much as it was in the 1830s, and just as much as it was after Christ’s resurrection.

Have the applications looked different at various points in time?

Yes.

In Acts 2:44, we learn of one application:

“And all that believed were together, and had all things common”.

The people Peter taught and baptized were moved with love to share many things in common with each other.

Everyone was given what they needed out of love and compassion. ⁣

So how are you doing with living the Law of Consecration right now?

I think this is a place where we all have room for improvement. ⁣

We may not fulfill it in the same way Peter did.

But are we intentionally sharing and consecrating the things we ARE able to share?

Do we volunteer our time through callings or assignments, even when they get tough or boring?

Do we show up to church or other activities in order to share our light and help others feel love?

Do we give of our abundance in money or food to those who have less? ⁣

These are great questions to ponder!

But I think the root of all these questions comes down to our motivation. ⁣

Is it out of LOVE?⁣

Are we bitter about that money in our tithing check, or do we rejoice with gratitude and love?⁣

The Law of Consecration is one of those things that doesn’t work too well if our motivation is “fear” or “obligation”.

We’ve gotta be willing.

It’s honestly difficult to sacrifice in this materialistic and selfish world.

And I’ve found that the only lasting personal change of heart will come from LOVE. ⁣

I want to practice building so much compassion and love for others, that the Law of Consecration becomes a natural joy!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post What is the Law of Consecration? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I spent all summer feeling very divided.

I made the pros and cons lists, I did my research, I talked with my friends at each school…

But I still felt divided. I could not decide.

Finally, I had a friend at one of the schools that started inviting me to lots of things.

She knew the school counselor and had me go in and meet with her to see what classes I might take.

My friend was involved with Student Council and had me attend one of their summer planning meetings. (They even offered me the role of class secretary because the person who had won the election had dropped out!)

She told me about the teachers, the traditions, the rallies…

Guess which school I ended up choosing?

The one that my friend had pretty much immersed me in!

When Hosea was teaching about the wicked people in the land, he described them by saying: “their heart is divided”. (Hosea 10:2)

Do you feel like your heart is divided right now?

Do you have a part of it for the Lord, but also part of it on something else that keeps taking you away from Him?

I’ll give you the same advice I ended up doing that summer in high school:

Give yourself more experiences with the one you WANT to choose.

Talk about Jesus with your loved ones even more. Read even more about Him. Listen to other people talking about Him. Watch shows that promote the things that He taught.

Being divided is tough when you don’t know which way to go.

But if you KNOW which way you WANT to want, and your heart is still divided…

Give your heart all the evidence it can take to sway it to the Lord.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Give your divided heart evidence  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

That person who gave a great lesson about loving others but then said something rude.

That guy who talked about the importance of serving others but can’t show up to help at the ward service project.

That family member who tells you not to judge, and then says judgmental comments all the time.

“Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me”. (Isaiah 29:13)

We could all sit around and point fingers endlessly.

But what about if we turned that finger around and looked at ourselves for a bit?

Could you give a great spiritual thought about the importance of keeping the Sabbath holy by doing good things that bring you closer to Christ?

How does that compare with your actual Sabbath observance?

Could you talk about the importance of temples?

How does that compare with your feelings about your personal worship in the temple and your attendance habits?

Could you give lots of reasons for why it’s so easy and important to share the gospel with other people?

How does that compare with your willingness to bring up gospel topics with people who aren’t members of this church?

At the end of the day, we ALL are able to teach about certain gospel principles much better than we are able to live them.

But here’s what I’ve learned about what actually matters most:

Where is your heart?

Our lips and our actions aren’t always going to align.

But our heart can be aligned with our lips and our actions.

Our actions will fall short, even though we have good intentions.

We wanted to serve but got too tired, we tried to make the Sabbath a delight but the kids are crazy, we want to love the temple more but we haven’t gone in a long time.

“Jesus Christ blesses those who want to improve and who try to keep the commandments. We always get credit for trying.” -Elder Holland

We always get credit for trying.

…But we have to really try.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Lips and hearts first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.