The value of anything is determined by its function. What problem does it solve? What need does it meet? Sand is a good example. At the beach, sand is free. But if you want to build a playground, that same sand has to be bagged and transported, so it costs more; hence its value goes up. Now what was once free on the beach costs around five pounds a bag. Once this same sand is glued to a piece of paper, making it sandpaper, its value increases again. Now it could be up to twenty pounds a roll. The value has gone up with an alteration in its purpose. An author further explains this: ‘Now, sand is silicon dioxide. When sand is taken, heated, and processed, it becomes an intricate part of a computer chip that is now worth five hundred dollars. So what was once free on the beach now has value because it is in a bag, because it is glued to a piece of paper, or because it is in a computer chip that you can hardly afford. The sand is the same, but it has found increased value in a greater purpose.’ After writing at length about the various jobs to be done and gifts to be exercised in the church, Paul writes, ‘Earnestly desire the best gifts.’ Why? So you can bring the most benefit and do the greatest good. Paul writes to the believers in Rome, ‘I long to visit you so I can bring you some spiritual gift that will help you grow strong in the Lord’ (Romans 1:11 NLT). Don’t settle for less; seek God for more – you won’t be disappointed.
