Hi Mike,
I’m happy that you and Sandi continue to pray for my son and me as we face the various challenges each day bring. Mike, you ask how are things with me?  Well, the past three months seem to be the most difficult period in my life. The bible studies on the site were able to keep me focused and help develop my understanding as to what God is doing in my life.
 
Mike, in the last couple of months, it seem as if everyone has turned against me, including my wife to be. My two brothers who live in the US are threatening to take me to court for the delay in selling some property we all own. Another brother with whom I invested a large sum of money in a business he controls, is unable to say where the money went.  My ex- wife has now turned on me with regards to a property we jointly own. It’s an ongoing list of trials everyday.
 
I know that God is doing this ‘for me’ and not ‘to me’ inspite of the difficulties. Luk 9: 23, 24 is very comforting. I know this call requires that I not only deny myself, but I must take up my cross daily to be resurrected with Christ. Mike, I know you’re very busy, but I want to share something with you at another time. My son’s matter in court didn’t go well. Sometimes I feel so tired and weak. The mark of the high calling in Christ is before me, so I must press forward.
 
Thanks again for your prayers. In the fullness of time God will reveal all He has called me to do and become in His name. Sorry for being so long.
 
W____

Hi W____,
Believe me when I say that I am familiar with the trials you mention. The story of Job is really the story of God’s elect. God is showing us just as He showed Job, that we all tend to blame Him for our trials which we know He could prevent. As contrary to human nature as it is, we are admonished to rejoice when people treat us as you have described below:

Luk 6:22  Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you [ from their company], and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.
Luk 6:23  Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

If our desire is to see only God’s will accomplished in our lives then, like Job, we will eventually come to see that that is exactly what is being done in all our trials which are but a part of “all things,” which are being worked together for good to God’s elect:

Rom 8:28  And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to [ his] purpose.

If God prepares our hearts to receive it, then we know that even our trials are all really His handiwork.

Psa 10:17  LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
Psa 10:18  To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.

The day is coming when “the man of the earth, [ within each of us], may oppress no more.” But that day will not come until there is no more “man of the earth” to oppress.” Job “endured to the end” even if he did not understand what was happening at the time he was complaining. Having the benefit of the book of Job, gives us the advantage of seeing this in ourselves. It does not give us the advantage of denying that we are Job, and Job is in us all.

Job 27:5  God forbid that I should justify you: till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me.
Job 27:6  My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.

Like Job, none of us sees just how unworthy we are. Like Job we all feel quite worthy of much better treatment than the trials we are given, and so long as we have that attitude the book of Job tells us what we can continue to expect.
God loves us enough to give us our trials. I thank Him for every stripe he has laid upon me and like you I pray for the strength to just “press on toward the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus.”
My prayers continue to be with you in all of these your trials.
Your brother in Christ,
Mike>