Oliver Cowdery was called on his mission to the native tribes west of Missouri, and so Joseph needed a new scribe in his absence.

John Whitmer was asked to fill in, and for a few months, he wrote down all of Joseph’s revelations and kept meeting minutes.

John was totally cool with this assignment!

And thank goodness, because John recorded down a large chunk of the sections in the Doctrine and Covenants.

But then… Joseph called John to also take over as the historian of the church.

This was going to be different.

Instead of John just writing down what the prophet dictated to him, John was now being asked to come up with his own words! To observe events and record them down.

John’s response to hearing this calling, and I quote: “I would rather not do it”.

Ever felt like John before?

But here’s what I love about him.

He was honest and said that he would rather not take on this calling. He told Joseph his real feelings.

But then he followed up that statement with saying, and I quote again:

“The will of the Lord be done, and if he desires it, I desire that he would manifest it through Joseph the Seer.”

He put it back on Joseph to take to the Lord. And if the Lord still needed John to take on this new calling, even with this new information that he didn’t want to do it and felt completely inadequate, then he would do it.

Doctrine and Covenants Section 47 was the answer that Joseph received as he took it to the Lord again.

The answer from the Lord in verse 1 says:

“Behold, it is expedient in me that my servant John should write and keep a regular history”.

And then my favorite part from the Lord in verse 4:

“It shall be given him, inasmuch as he is faithful, by the Comforter, to write these things.”

The Comforter, the Spirit, would help John out with writing the history, as long as he had faith. He wouldn’t be left to his own efforts.

John accepted the calling and faithfully recorded the church history, providing us with invaluable insights into church proceedings in those early days.

What is your takeaway from John’s story?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post I would rather not do it first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I get people messaging me a form of this question pretty often.

And I always laugh.

Because if you want tips on how to organize your time, I’m probably not the person to admire.

And not because I’m not a great planner (I mean, I’m not the best, but I can be pretty organized).

It has more to do with the two little children that I am primarily responsible for each day.

Three year olds and one year olds sure have a lot of needs.

Unexpected, constant needs. 

I don’t handle everything at all.

If I’m making dinner, I’ve probably put a show on for the kids. If I’m writing posts for Instagram, I’m ignoring the pile of laundry in my laundry room. If I’m playing with my kids, I’m not responding to urgent messages on my website.

But there is one not-so-little secret that makes many of my days run more smoothly.

And those are the days when I remember to pray and ask:

“What should I be doing right now to best make use of my time?”

Now that doesn’t mean that I’ve got God as my scheduler.

I want to make that clear – I’m not putting all my decision-making on God.

I still make decisions all the time as to how I can spend my day wisely. (Or sometimes, not-so-wisely)

But when I feel clarity with my schedule, or I feel urged to switch something up, that’s how I know I’m doing what I should be doing at the moment.

In Doctrine and Covenants Section 15 verse 4, the Lord told John Whitmer:

“For many times you have desired of me to know that which would be of the most worth unto you.”

I think this is such a beautiful question to ask.

What is of most worth for you in this time in your life?

What is of most worth for you this week?

Today? In the next ten minutes?

Try it out this week, and see where the Spirit takes you. 

️Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post What is of most worth? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.