First:

I was in a church class where everyone commiserated about how difficult it is to read their scriptures every day.

Many people confessed how often they forget to read.

Now, studying scriptures is a habit that is pretty solid in my life and their study is a skill that comes pretty naturally to me.

So I started thinking about how I must be doing a great job!

Second:

I was in a group discussion where everyone started talking about how they’ve learned to be good ministering sisters.

Everyone was sharing about great opportunities they’ve had to reach out and connect in divine ways.

I wasn’t doing all the great thing these sisters were doing.

I started thinking that I was completely inadequate and failing at living the gospel.

What was wrong with BOTH of these situations?!

For better and for worse, I was judging and justifying my own righteousness based solely on what other people around me were or weren’t doing.

But what does Moroni advise us?

“Come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him.” (Mormon 9:27)

Before who?

Before HIM.

We are asked to humbly and sincerely work out our own salvation directly with the Savior.

Our salvation isn’t worked out by comparing ourselves to what our neighbors are doing.

I may have a lot of room to improve on my scripture study, regardless of the struggles of people around me.

I may be doing the absolute best ministering that I can do right now, regardless of the strengths of the people around me.

Or maybe not.

But the people around me don’t affect my salvation.

And I want to do better at working out my own salvation directly before the Lord.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post I am the best… and the worst first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

It’s a question that I have been asked variations of over and over again.

And I have some great suggestions to share that I’ve learned on my own.

⁣But in many of the messages, I actually hear my own concerns from a few years ago echoing in their words:⁣

“I just can’t seem to do consistent scripture study, and this means I am failing.”

In our church, reading the scriptures and praying every day are preached so often, that sometimes we mistakenly start to think that salvation comes through their repetition. ⁣

It’s like reading our scriptures becomes the goal.

We will make it if we can just read our scriptures every day!

But I want to look at what the Anti-Nephi Lehies had so wisely figured out:

“They did not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses; but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ.” (Alma 25:16)

Keeping the commandments and reading our scriptures every day are not part of the checklist we need to complete in order to earn salvation and get into heaven.

We keep the commandments and read our scriptures BECAUSE these actions strengthen our faith in the Savior.

Salvation comes only in and through Jesus Christ.

And everything He asks us to do is to point us to Jesus even more.

That is what God really wants us to do.

The goal isn’t to study our scriptures every day; the goal is to be totally focused on Jesus Christ as the center of our salvation, and scripture study is one of the easiest ways to focus us.

Don’t misinterpret here— I’m not saying “the law” or scripture study isn’t important.

I quite literally think effective scripture study can change lives, and it’s a worthy habit to develop.

But consistent scripture study isn’t the endgame.

Feasting on the scriptures daily is important BECAUSE it so naturally points us toward Jesus Christ.

Salvation doesn’t come by keeping the “law,” but the “law” helps us to become more Christlike if we keep willing and sincere hearts.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Failing at scripture study first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

1. I sat in a conversation where everyone commiserated about how difficult it is to read their scriptures every day. I felt like I must be doing a great job, since that has been a natural part of my life. I thought that I must be awesome at living the gospel.

2. I was part of a discussion where everyone started talking about how poorly they were doing at being ministering sisters, but then everyone revealed they were actually doing quite a bit more than what I was doing. I felt completely inadequate and like I was failing at living the gospel.

3. I was chatting with a close friend about how we have both chosen to keep the Sabbath day differently. We justified our strengths and our weaknesses to each other and reassured each other that we were doing great.

Sound familiar?

I don’t think that anything is wrong about the conversations that I was part of.

In fact, many parts of the conversations were useful in healthy ways.

But my reaction to these conversations was that I was trying to judge and justify my own righteousness solely based on what other people around me were or weren’t doing.

Moroni advises us in Mormon 9:27:

“Come unto the Lord with all your heart, and work out your own salvation with fear and trembling before him.”

We are asked to humbly and sincerely work out our own salvation directly with our Savior.

Not falling into pride or self-loathing or justification based off of what other people around us do.

But to measure our success with the Lord.

To ask for confirmation on the things we are doing right, and correction on the things we should focus on.

It’s just Jesus and me.

There’s no race. There’s no comparison. We’ve all got a completely different set of circumstances, trials, sins, spiritual gifts, and blessings.

We can’t look around to see if we are behind or ahead.

We can only look up.

Beautiful artwork courtesy @scott_sligting_art

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Just Jesus and me first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I love getting these questions, and I have practical advice and tips to share.

But in many of the messages, I hear my own concerns from a few years ago echoing in their words:

“I would be so much more righteous if I could actually read my scriptures every day. God is probably disappointed that I can’t even get this right.”

In our church, reading the scriptures and praying every day are preached so often, that sometimes we mistakenly start to think that salvation comes through their repetition.

So I want you to think for a second:

WHY do YOU study the scriptures?

What’s your reason?

If it’s to fulfill your “righteousness checklist” for the day, then it might be helpful to look at the Anti-Nephi-Lehies’ example.

They kept the Law of Moses with exactness after their conversion. But…

“They did not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses; but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ”. Alma 25:16

THAT is why we are asked to read and pray every day.

Not because they will complete the checklist and get us into heaven.

But because those actions strengthen our faith in the Savior.

Those actions help us become more Christlike.

And that’s what God IS looking for.

People who try. People who are kind and caring. People who serve. People who have the desire to be a little bit better.

And our daily scripture study and prayers are powerful tools to help us make that mighty transformation.

So if you are caught up in the guilt of the checklist, try instead asking yourself, “What can I do today in order to become more Christlike?”

And I think you might more willingly place studying and praying at the top of your activity list.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Where does salvation come from? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Like, literally.

For some trivial reasons, it has helped me let go of stress and fake rules that I had built for myself:

• My house doesn’t HAVE to be clean before anyone comes over.

• I don’t HAVE to put makeup on before I go outside.

But for other reasons, not HAVING to do it, makes me realize that I WANT to do it:

• I don’t HAVE to teach my kids anything, secularly or religiously. But I think I want to.

• I don’t HAVE to listen to General Conference talks and read my scriptures. But I think I want to.

Benjamin is teaching us in the Book of Mosiah that we HAVE to believe and act through the name of Christ in order to receive salvation.

But we don’t HAVE to choose to follow that. We can accept the consequences either way.

So are we choosing Christ because we think we HAVE to, or because we actively WANT to?

Does it feel like an obligation, or a joyful choice?

I don’t think I always have a perfect mindset about the gospel and the Church that point me towards Christ – but I’m working on keeping that positive viewpoint more often.

Choosing to accept Christ’s salvation for me, choosing to make him my top priority at all times because I WANT to.

Artwork by @sticky_scriptures_cfm

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Out of obligation or choice? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.