To me, it’s pretty clear what Ahab was thinking throughout this whole drought when he finally met up with the prophet Elijah.⁣

Because the first words he says to Elijah are found in 1 Kings 18:17: ⁣

“Are thou he that troubleth Israel?” ⁣

In other words, aren’t you the guy who has been making life miserable for everyone in Israel, including me, for years? ⁣

Ahab was putting all the blame on Elijah.⁣

Elijah’s response was so confident and faith-filled. ⁣

In the next verse 18, he responds: ⁣

“I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.” ⁣

Elijah makes it clear that the natural consequences of Ahab and all of his royal family turning away from the Lord were NOT Elijah’s fault. ⁣

They were their own faults! ⁣

Sometimes we make poor choices and must deal with the consequences. ⁣

Sometimes we gossip about someone, and then they don’t want to hang around us anymore. ⁣

Sometimes we make it really difficult to access personal revelation because we fill our lives with so many things that pull the Spirit away from us. ⁣

Sometimes we lose out on cool service or bonding opportunities because we tell ourselves we are “too busy.” ⁣

And it’s so easy to put the blame somewhere else! ⁣

To blame the other person, to blame our busy schedule, or even to blame the Lord. ⁣

It’s not the most fun lesson to learn, but it is important to know who is responsible for our own actions.⁣

Ahab wanted to put all that blame on Elijah. ⁣

But when we take ownership of what we should be doing and are honest with ourselves about where we fall short, we are able to repent and move forward with hope instead of falling into the blame game.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Ahab’s blame game first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

When the bishop extended the call to my husband and me, I honestly didn’t even know what that calling meant.

Pretty soon, the ward mission leader contacted us and asked us to come to a bimonthly meeting with the missionaries, followed by visiting members of the ward.

I diligently attended the meeting the first few times…

But soon, there was always a good excuse not to go to these meetings when they came around.

I mean, I had a busy life!

I remember thinking, “I know I’m not fulfilling my calling the best I can right now, but if I had a different, bigger calling, I would do better.”

I eventually realized I would never magically “do better” if I had more to do.

Heavenly Father wanted me to give my best no matter the calling.

As soon as I humbled myself and recommitted to my calling, I received a new one.

“And when he shall prove himself faithful in all things that shall be entrusted unto his care, yea, even a few things, he shall be made ruler over many.” (D&C 124:113)

Do we sometimes fall into the trap of thinking that we would be better off if we had something “more important” to do?

The Lord asks us to show that we can be faithful with just a few things first.

Whether it’s starting a small family scripture study habit, saying personal prayers for just a minute, or saying hi to someone new, we can show our diligence in small and simple tasks.

He’s not expecting perfection.

But He is asking us to be filled with faith as we continue to try our best.

“Wake up and do something more than dream of your mansions above!”

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Waiting for bigger calling  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Like… I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with this baby!⁣

Wasn’t someone going to make sure she was being fed and tighten up her swaddles when they fell apart?!⁣

Giving birth sure didn’t make me feel qualified to be a mother. ⁣

Talk about a trusting Heavenly Father right?!⁣

My daughter is as much His daughter as I am, and yet I’ve been given the huge blessing of being her mother here on earth. ⁣

I have been given solemn stewardship over this daughter of God for the next little bit. ⁣

She is His, but He is giving me an opportunity to show what kind of a steward I can be. ⁣

Some stewardships, such as parenting, are pretty long-term.⁣

But other stewardships, such as callings we receive or possessions that we own, are much more temporary.⁣

And yet… everything is His. ⁣

The Lord taught in D&C 104:57: “But, verily I say unto you, I have appointed unto you to be stewards over mine house, even stewards indeed.”⁣

We’ve all been appointed a little bit of stewardship over a corner of God’s house. ⁣

Stewardship does not mean ownership, but instead implies a solemn loan in which we get to show our responsibility, maturity, and agency. ⁣

Today, I invite you to reflect on the people and things that you currently have stewardship over.⁣

Am I being a good steward?⁣

Not a perfect steward, but a good one who is trying my best to take care of the things that are His?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Am I qualified for this?! first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

That line is: “With great power comes great responsibility.”⁣

Spider-Man could have discovered his powers, realized what he could do, and then chosen to sweep it under the rug. ⁣⁣

I mean, does he really have to stop what he’s doing everytime there’s a distress call in his neighborhood? (Or the galaxy?!)

He’s got stuff to do, too! ⁣

It could be easy to ignore what he had to blend in with everyone else and try to live a normal life. ⁣

Life without his powers would be much simpler for young Peter. ⁣

But instead, he was reminded that with this great power, he can choose to take great responsibility, too. ⁣

Because other people’s lives would be much worse off if he chose to do nothing. ⁣

If he could save people’s lives, then his morals, guided by his uncle’s advice, led him to believe that he needed to help. ⁣

In D&C 82:3, the Lord gently reminds Joseph and the other leaders in Missouri that: ⁣

“Unto whom much is given much is required.”⁣

If you have a testimony of Jesus Christ.⁣

If you’ve made covenants in the holy temple⁣

If you know of prophets and scriptures that have made your life easier…⁣

Then you have been given a whole lot.⁣

It can be tempting to want to hide away from any consequences of that, though. ⁣

Can’t I just have an awesome, comfortable life, and everyone else can go on their own journey?⁣

The Lord teaches us that that’s not the way He’d like it to go. ⁣

If we’ve been given a lot, then there is a lot required of us. ⁣

Now, I don’t think we have to physically risk our lives every day. ⁣

But we are asked to risk our comfortable environments to repent, to share the good news with others, and to serve as He would serve. ⁣

With great power, comes great responsibility.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Spider-man’s spiritual thought  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It was a unique life experience where I knew something really difficult was about to happen.

There wasn’t much I could do to prepare other than plead for heavenly assistance.

I joined my voice with David when he said:

“Draw nigh unto my soul”. (Psalms 69:18)

I quite literally said in prayer, “I’m going to need Your strength a lot more. I need You closer to me.”

I put the responsibility on the Lord.

He needed to come closer to me to help support me through this tough time, right?

The Spirit often speaks to me by putting whole sentences or phrases right in my mind.

The response I immediately got was:

“I’m already here. You know what you need to do to draw more of My power into your life.”

It was exactly the message that I needed to hear.

How do we get Jesus to draw closer to us?

We draw closer to Him.

Since that moment, I’ve tried to make the Savior an even higher priority in my life.

I’ve tried to make more time for Him, I’ve tried to speak with Him more, and I’ve tried to speak about Him more.

I’ve drawn closer to Him, even though it’s seemed like He has drawn closer to me.

And other times, I’ve forgotten.

I’ve thought, “Where is He? Why do I feel so out of touch?”

And then I remember.

Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father are certainly not out of touch with me.

As a caveat, I do fully believe that the Lord can send extra measures of His Spirit when we are in need, and I don’t believe that we can force spiritual experiences by our actions.

God is divine and can do according to His desires.

But I needed the gentle but firm reminder that day that when I’m hoping that God will come closer to me, there’s usually only one of us who is actually being distant.

It’s on me, with righteous and pure intent, to seek Him out.

To stretch out my hand to accept His help that’s been there all along.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post How to get the Lord to draw nearer  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Everyone is called to be a ministering brother or sister, and then many are extended additional callings, ranging in time commitment and responsibility.

Callings can get a bad rap.

But every time we’ve moved to a new ward, I’ve eagerly volunteered, “Give me a calling as soon as you can!”

Because I love having something to do.

I love having a job, having responsibility, feeling ownership, feeling a sense of belonging, serving in some way.

This desire is what I immediately thought of when I read the beautiful patriarchal blessings that Father Israel gave to Joseph’s sons, Ephraim and Manasseh.

He gave them blessings.

He taught them about their lineage.

He testified about God and His promises.

And then he tells Ephraim and Manasseh about their special calling:

“For thou shalt be a light unto my people, to deliver them in the days of their captivity, from bondage; and to bring salvation unto them, when they are altogether bowed down under sin.” (Genesis 48:11 JST)

These two men, and thus their posterity, were given some specific callings and assignments:

• to be a light to other people
• to deliver others from the captivity of sin
• to teach others about salvation

Extra responsibility.

Not just to be a burden for these two tribes of Israel.

But to give them something worthwhile to do.

To feel belonging and confidence before the Lord.

To grow in service and in love with all humankind.

It’s the calling given to those members of these tribes.

The calling has been extended, and it just needs to be accepted and fulfilled to the best of anyone’s ability.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Ephraim and Manasseh’s blessing first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I used to picture the Abrahamic covenant as some promise God made with Abraham a long long time ago.

And that’s it.

I know I’ve been told to study it and learn about it, but in my mind it was only to learn about history.

Here’s the cool realization I made, though!

Abraham’s covenant is not about him.

Yes, he’s the one being blessed, but what is the blessing all about?

Let’s see what we learn in Genesis 26:3-4, which is where the Abrahamic covenant is being extended now to his son, Isaac:

“I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries… And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.”

This blessing is about YOU! It is about ME!

We are the ones being blessed, across countries, and without number.

When we live a righteous and faith-filled life, we are being part of this covenant and we are being blessed.

And then we, in turn, become the ones who reach out and bless other people’s lives as we emulate Christ and share what we know.

This isn’t just a history lesson; we are the ones fulfilling the covenant!

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post We are the blessing first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I was paying attention… then I zoned out.

And then he finished the training.

“Any questions?”

Purely to protect my pride, I said “Nope, that all sounds great!”

But I had no clue what to do for most of the tasks.

I’ve found this dichotomy interesting to reflect on:

My supervisor did exactly what he was supposed to do.

He taught me everything. He was very kind.

But I had completely disengaged as a learner, and it was reflected in how much help I needed the first few days of the job.

Had he failed his training because I struggled?

I don’t think so.

A lot of emotions run through my mind when I read this statement in the Family: A Proclamation to the World:

“Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.”

But one thing I’ve been focused on is:

The effectiveness of my teaching is not always reflected in how well the students learn.

Both the teacher and the learner need to be willing in order for true understanding to occur.

This doesn’t excuse poor or half-hearted teaching, but it takes our complete dependence on results in order to evaluate the effectiveness of teaching.

We, as parents, are asked to teach our children how to love, to serve, to work hard, and to keep the commandments.

Not to make them be loving, service-filled, hard-working, commandment-keepers.

We have a solemn responsibility to teach as well as we possibly can, pleading with the Lord to know exactly what our children might need from us.

Nothing more and nothing less.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post We can teach but not force learning first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

At my teaching job, my principal had reminded everyone of a task that was overdue at a staff meeting, and a lot of people seemed shocked.

Quick confession time: I always felt a little awkward in those situations because I absolutely hate sounding like a know-it-all.

I hate hate hate it. I don’t want anyone to think of me as condescending.

But… I also enjoy reading instructions and contracts.

No, not the “terms and conditions” on random things I buy, no one likes those.

But if I am starting a new job, taking on a new role, or joining a new group and there are extensive directions and expectations written up in a contract of some kind?

I read every single word and make sure I understand what it means.

It’s exciting to me, and I always love being completely “in-the-know”.

And so… I had read our principal’s email a couple weeks earlier and already completed my task.

(I also have 10000% empathy for teachers missing things in emails because have you seen a teacher’s inbox before?!)

The Lord reminds the members of the church in D&C 107:99:

“Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence.”

I find this fascinating because at the end of this super lengthy section about priesthood offices and duties, He reminds the saints:

Hey, YOU are each responsible for learning your own duty and then fulfilling it.

We are responsible.

In a new calling, we can be responsible and read what the handbook actually says we should be doing.

We can read the scriptures and study from modern words of prophets so that we know how to behave and act and so that we know our doctrine.

We can learn about how to help others who are struggling and then get out there and act.

We can figure out what our covenants actually mean and then go out there and fulfill our end of them.

We don’t have to wait for someone to tell us what to do.

In fact, we shouldn’t.

We need to learn, and then we need to act.

What is our duty?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post You are responsible for knowing! first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

They were well-meaning saints who gathered together weekly and had copies of the Book of Mormon, but Warren recognized that his congregation needed someone with some greater priesthood authority and direction to assist them in Freedom, New York.

He wrote a letter to his brother Oliver’s good friend Joseph Smith asking for him to send someone with greater priesthood authority out to visit their branch.

I imagine Warren was excited to get someone to lead them.

Wouldn’t it be so nice to have someone step up and take charge?

Someone who actually knew what they were doing?

Warren had been familiar with the church since his brother had first met up with Joseph a few years earlier.

But Warren himself had only been converted and baptized for less than a year.

Finally, Joseph wrote a letter back to Warren!

“It is my will that my servant Warren A. Cowdery should be appointed and ordained a presiding high priest over my church, in the land of Freedom and the regions round about;” D&C 106:1

Wait, what?

Doesn’t Warren’s story sound familiar?

Sometimes we see the need.

It is so glaringly obvious.

Someone needs to step up and do something about that.

And then…

We are the ones called to fill that position.

Or, we realize on our own that WE could be the one to step up and be the solution.

It’s a lot easier to notice what’s wrong and wait for someone else to solve the problems we see.

“If only someone would fix that bulletin board!”

“If only someone would help that lady!”

“If only someone would start a fun hangout group!”

“If only someone would start advocating for that cause more!”

But what if… we were the person we were waiting for?

We can see a need, and we can be the one to step up.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Warren Cowdery and the high priest first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.