Dear Bros in Christ,

Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
Brothers in Christ, this monthly devotional is sent and meant to be an encouragement to
all and to build up and edify in the Lord Jesus Christ. Oikodome means "Builder". The Lord
has put this on my heart to send out a monthly Iron Man Oikodome {oy-kod-om-
ay'} to build up and encourage the men who love and follow Jesus Christ in their walk with
Him.
Hebrews 3:13 "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none
of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."
PRAYER REQUESTS: If you have any prayer requests please send them and I will send
them out to the bros for prayer, if privacy is needed I will send in a discreet way.

DECEMBER 2010

“THE COST OF WISDOM & UNDERSTANDING”

“But where can wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding? (Job
28:12 NKJV)”
Job observes in chapter 28 that wisdom cannot be discovered by man like it is some great precious
material resource located in the depths of the earth waiting for man to search deeper until he finds
or discovers it and lays claim to it. Wisdom does not come in that manner; we cannot mine it in that
we would attain it by bulk like all those things that come from the depths of the earth the resources
we use in our daily lives; salt, coal, precious stones, copper, ore, and metals just to name a few or
even the oil drilled for in the depths. If only gaining wisdom were that simple we would all be wise
men already and we wouldn’t even have to wait until we grew old enough that we could grow a
long white beard!... Even if man searched out darkness and every recess to discover it he couldn’t.
We cannot even grow or harvest it like some plentiful crop grown from seedlings. Though man
could mine for it, he couldn’t produce wisdom in a hundred life times… Man can search Gods
creation inside to the darkest depths, even rearranging it, yet it will not avail him wisdom, oh he
will see Gods wisdom in His design and all His creation, but man cannot discover wisdom. Even
though he could mine through the center core of the earth from one end of the globe to the other
end he couldn’t attain it. Man goes all out to dig out precious metals and resources out of the
depths of the earth… How far will he go and how deep will he go to find the wisdom that comes
from God?

Of course as believers we know that wisdom does not come from man and but most in the world
don’t or cannot ever realize this. No matter how much man studies his ways or his books, mans
ways are foolishness to the Lord. Gods wisdom is higher than that, plus mans own limited ability
even to put together a course of his so called intelligence and wisdom and think that he could teach
the wisdom that is Gods alone, man cannot attain it by his ways, nor can man teach others Gods
wisdom from his own ways, it is too high, too lofty for man. You can show someone God’s wisdom-
but you can’t give them God’s wisdom, only God can give wisdom.
“Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger
than men (1Corinthians 1:25 NKJV)”. “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with
God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness; (1Corinthians 3:19
NKJV)…”
Most all of us have paid a price by and through the graciousness of the Lord to learn the cost of
wisdom that comes from the fear of the Lord which is to hate evil, through having lived our sinful
lives before coming to Christ, but never so great a price as the Lord has paid for each one of us, to
learn that wisdom does indeed come from Him! “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of
knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction (Proverbs 1:7 NKJV)”. Bros notice
that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge and that knowledge is wisdom, if that fear of
the Lord is to hate evil and everything that is unrighteous before the Lord… Seeking and knowing
God is the beginning of learning wisdom…Because you have to know God intimately to realize how
much that He hates evil and wickedness and that all sin is unrighteousness…
Paraphrasing what Job said in sharing that God understands wisdoms way and He knows its place,
He can see the whole earth in one sweep of a glance in other words the ability to see under the
total expanse of the heavens, He gave the wind a weight so it could blow, yet it is weightless, God
measured out the waters yet we cannot measure them, He set up laws for the rain to obey, created
the paths for thunderbolts… God understands its way and knows its place “Then he saw wisdom
and declared it; He prepared it, indeed. He searched it out. And to man He said, ‘Behold,
the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, (Job28:28 NKJV)…”

What can fear of the Lord mean to us exactly? Do you fear God? Does it mean that we don’t want to
go about doing things that are displeasing to the Lord, practicing wickedness and evil things that
are against His will for our lives? Does it mean to us that we shouldn’t want to go back to the way
we once were before coming to the Lord? Does it mean to not go the way of the world? The flesh?
Does it mean that we somehow forget what God delivered us from when He brought us up out of
that slimy pit?

Does it mean that God the Father who loves you so much and would do anything for you including
sending His Son Jesus to take your place on the cross, for your sins, that you would never forget,
and see, and receive the wisdom from God in that great sacrifice for you, that affords you to be
washed by His blood, cleansed, and forgiven of our filthy stinking sins, and would allow you to
never forget that love, and apply that to your understanding. God had the wisdom to make the Way
for all of us to get saved, can you see the wisdom in that bro, when we look at and meditate on
what He did we can see there is no other way, we could never come to that conclusion in our own
wisdom had not the Lord created and revealed the Way for us to be forgiven of our sins and saved
by His Own blood that was shed, and washed us clean from our sins, on Calvary. That we ought to
have reverence for the Lord God Almighty and obey, observe, consider, seek, watch, pray, take a
look at, worship, view, see, regard, follow, study, realize, think about and believe and accept as
true the fear of the Lord, to hate evil and wickedness that is wisdom or at least the beginning…
We ought to know God intimately always and desire to grow more intimate with Him everyday
through prayer, personal Bible devotional study, meditating on His Word and rightly applying His
Word in wisdom in our lives, in all our goings out and comings in. Bros, God desires to lead us in all
things and for us to follow Him and seek Him in all things. He desires to lead us in His wisdom but
we can only walk in His wisdom if we are following Him. I absolutely fear to go back to the place
where I was going through life without Jesus, where I despised wisdom and instruction. I could not
do that now that I know the truth and found and know and have believed and received Jesus.

7”The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is
sure, making wise the simple; 8 The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart;
The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9The fear of the LORD is
clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
10More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than
honey and the honeycomb. 11Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping
them there is great reward (Psalm 19:7-11)”.
Search and find Wisdom only in the Lord Jesus Christ! God bless you Bros!

Agape,
Daniel Wright
Iron Man Oikodome
Proverbs 27:17
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