When it was finally bedtime, I walked into my room and pulled out my scriptures.

I was exhausted.

But knew I needed the blessings of scripture study more than ever.

As I took a deep breath and started to read, I knew I could expect peace and inspiration.

I find this promise so reassuring:

“When we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” (D&C 130:21)

I remember someone once telling me that we shouldn’t want to do good things and become good people only because of the blessings.

I agree 100%.

Obeying because we love the Lord and desire to become like Him is the best motivation!

But sometimes… life is rough.

And I think it’s okay to want blessings.

I knew God wouldn’t take away all my trials as soon as I read my scriptures that evening.

But I was focused on the blessings I knew God could provide through His holy word.

And guess what?

I did feel peace and inspiration.

My problems were still there, but God blessed me with a calming perspective.

We should absolutely want to obey the commandments because we love God and want to become more like Him.

But, on the off chance that you also need some blessings right now…

It’s always good to add a booster of obedience into our lives.

“Obedience makes us progressively stronger, capable of faithfully enduring tests and trials in the future.” – Robert D. Hales

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Why did I obey? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

“You learn obedience during the hardest times in your life.”

I can think of a time when my husband and I were struggling financially, and I couldn’t find a job anywhere.

He was in school, and I wasn’t getting hired anywhere in a timely manner.

That time of suffering refined me!

I immersed myself in the gospel and learned how to obey with exactness.

(And we saw huge blessings from tithing.)

But I can also think of another time when I was dealing with some tough emotional trials, and I let go of many of my good, spiritual habits.

I felt that I had too much going on and didn’t spend time growing closer to the Lord.

Paul taught:

“Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered.” (Hebrews 5:8)

Obedience can be learned through suffering.

But it comes down to a choice:

Will we let suffering push us to cling to our obedience and the Lord?

Or will we let it be an excuse to turn away from obedience?

I’ve done it both ways.

And the light that came into my life when I continued to turn to obedience during tough times was so, so powerful!

I have fond memories of that really tough financial time.

I learned that focusing on Jesus Christ and obeying every command brought me peace during an uncertain time.

Suffering can bring us closer to the Lord—

If we let it.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Does suffering bring you closer to the Lord?  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Well… I use the phrase “play a soccer game” very, very loosely.

It’s adorable.

No one keeps score, and no team is declared the winner.

It’s a laidback environment focused on giving these cute little kids exposure to the sport.

It made me think of the contrast in emotions to much higher stakes soccer games I had watched before.

We loved attending BYU soccer games when we lived there, but the emotions were so much more dramatic.

The games were long, the skills were insane, and the anticipation was intense.

There was always a winner, and there was always a loser.

In real life, different people, teams, parties, or groups prevail at different times.

In Noah’s time, the flood waters prevailed against the earth.

They prevailed against every person, every creature.

Total defeat.

“And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth”. (Genesis 7:19)

But who did not fall to the waters?

Those who were in the boat.

AKA those who were obedient.

“Keep the commandments. In this there is safety.”

When the waters seem like they are going to prevail, we can find safety by clinging to the commandments of our loving God.

Because God will always prevail.

So when we cling to God and His wise and all-knowing commandments, we can prevail, too.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Safety against the waters  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

We often don’t receive a testimony of a principle until AFTER we have lived the principle.

I mean, it makes sense.

But it also is very difficult to do.

To learn a new principle, not understand it, but still live it wholeheartedly.

Adam and Eve were cast out of the garden, and God told them to take their firstlings of their flocks and sacrifice them for the Lord.

Keep in mind that they had no prior concept or understanding of animal sacrifices— this was the first time that God had made this commandment.

AND THEY DID IT!

They had no clue what they were doing, or why they were doing it, or if it was really worth all the effort, or if it really had to be the firstling…

And they obeyed. Why?

Well, an angel asks this couple the same thing: “Why dost thou offer sacrifices unto the Lord?”

Adam’s response: “I know not, save the Lord commanded me.”

Blind obedience? No. Adam and Eve already knew they could trust the Lord and His promises, so if He commanded something else, their faith that it would be important and worthwhile overtook any blindness they had.

BUT MY FAVORITE PART COMES NEXT.

The angel teaches them the “why”!

They don’t have to stay in this unknowing trust with God; they get to learn the truth.

The angel teaches them why sacrifices are important and what they are symbolic of.

AND THEN

Adam and Eve finally understand, bear their own testimonies of what they’ve learned, AND THEN TEACH THEIR KIDS.

This is just my favorite pattern ever:

Receive a commandment that doesn’t make sense at all.

Obey the commandment because of prior trust in God.

After time has passed, be taught the “why”.

Fully understand and embrace the “why” and form a testimony.

Teach others what you’ve learned.

It takes time. It takes patience. It takes true faith and trust in God that it will be worth it.

It’s tough to sometimes sit in that middle phase for a long time.

But you can find comfort with knowing you are in the company of our first mother and father who also admitted, “I know not [why], save the Lord commanded me.” Moses 5:6

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post I don’t know why first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Every time we obey, love, and perfect ourselves, we can expect blessings.

Sometimes, when I mention looking for blessings, I’ll get people telling me:

“Hey we shouldn’t only want to do good things and become good people because of the blessings. That’s a little selfish.”

I totally agree, 100%.

But also, I think it’s okay for me to want blessings.

Life is rough.

Sometimes in big, dramatic ways.

And other times in small, obnoxious ways.

Like having to clean up a whole lot of vomit from various places around your house, pregnancy symptoms kicking my trash, falling behind on work deadlines… it’s been a week around here.

And I’m not afraid to say that I want some blessings right now.

I need some blessings.

I pulled out those scriptures even when I was exhausted and in the worst mood ever, and I read them.

I pushed myself to serve in a couple of new ways.

Because I need those blessings.

And by “those blessings”, I don’t mean that I’m expecting Heavenly Father to take my problems away because I’m having a rough week.

They are all still waiting for me, trust me. 

But after studying the scriptures, I know that I can expect a few things:

Peace in my heart.

Strength to endure.

Inspiration for changes that need to be made.

And a greater dependence on and love for my Savior.

“When we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.” D&C 130:21

We absolutely should want to obey the commandments because we love God and want to become more like Him.

But, on the off chance that you need some blessings right now…

On the off chance that you had a rough week, or a rough day, too…

Then think about how you can add a booster of obedience into your life.

And if we are obedient with a willing heart, then we can expect the blessings to follow.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Blessings and laws first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Section 93 talks all about light and truth.

Light and truth is knowledge and intelligence.

Light and truth are powerful ideals, that I don’t think I can even begin to fully comprehend right now.

But boy, do I want more light and truth in my life.

And the Savior seems to paint this picture of these universal laws and elements, and that everything is in accordance with this eternal light and truth.

But He also makes a point that we have our agency to do what we will with this light and truth here on the earth.

We started off innocent at birth, and we have agency to do whatever we choose with light and truth.

D&C 93:39 caught my eye though, because here the Lord teaches:

“And that wicked one cometh and taketh away light and truth, through disobedience, from the children of men, and because of the tradition of their fathers.”

In this grand physics lesson, it’s not so much that the adversary adds darkness into the mix.

Because… darkness doesn’t really exist.

Darkness, like a dark room, or a dark night sky, really just means the absence of light.

And that’s what the Lord sticks with here.

The wicked one takes away light and truth.

That’s how he creates his darkness— by removing the light.

And did you catch HOW the adversary takes away light and truth?!

Through disobedience.

We gain light and truth through obedience, while the wicked one takes away light and truth through disobedience.

Obedience isn’t the most popular word.

Our hearts need to be in the right place for obedience to be as powerful as it can be.

Want more light and truth?

Take it to the Lord and ask, “How can I become a little more obedient today?”

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Light and truth and obedience first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

And what a fitting sandwich to some of his first words, found in 1 Nephi 3:7: “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded”. ⁣⁣

Obedience. ⁣It’s not the most popular word.⁣⁣

Why would we ever just do something because someone else told us to? Shouldn’t we be able to think for ourselves?⁣

These are all valid questions, and ones that I actually find very useful and important in many situations. ⁣⁣

But, still, Nephi is a stellar example of OBEDIENCE. ⁣⁣

After studying Nephi’s words and writings for the past 2 months, I know that Nephi had strong faith in the Lord. ⁣⁣

How did he show his love for the Lord? By being obedient through his ACTIONS. ⁣⁣

He went back to get the plates. He made a new bow. He built a ship. He separated his people from Laman and Lemuel’s posterity. ⁣⁣

He DID the things he was told to do by the Lord.⁣⁣

So how do we gain a testimony of the little elements of the gospel? Tithing, modesty, ministering, fulfilling church service callings…⁣⁣

We DO them. We obey what the Lord instructs us to do. ⁣⁣

“Why is ministering important? No one has ever really ministered to me and I’ve been fine. I also just don’t really click with the people I’m assigned to.”⁣⁣

We can’t learn the importance of ministering until we obey. Until we go and do. ⁣⁣

That is showing true faith. Not reasoning it out in our minds and then justifying coming up a little bit short.⁣⁣

We hear the command from the Lord, and we obey.⁣⁣

And when we keep the Spirit with us always, it is NEVER “blind obedience”. Although we may not see the purpose for what we do, we can receive a small confirmation that we WILL get there eventually.⁣⁣

I have had this experience a few, very tender times. I do not understand a principle or prompting, but when I muster up enough faith to do a little bit of action, the Spirit comes pouring in to let me know I’m heading in the right direction. ⁣⁣

Our loving Heavenly Father knows how we can bring the most happiness into our lives. ⁣⁣

And so when He commands or prompts or assigns – I will follow Nephi’s lifelong example, and quickly and simply OBEY.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Nephi’s obedience first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.