Are You Showbread?

Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

We recently had an event called Night of Purpose for young women at our church. Our focus scripture was Romans 8:28. I wanted to dig into that scripture a bit as I was praying through this event and for the women that would attend. Because I’m a little nerdy, I looked it up in Strong’s Concordance. It stated that the Greek origin of the word Purpose in that scripture was, “setting forth of a thing, placing it in view, the shewbread, showbread, or bread of presence.” Of course, my thought was, "What the heck is shewbread, showbread, or bread of presence?” I had myself a little journey through a history lesson that I thought I would share with you.

Shewbread was 12 loaves of bread representing the 12 tribes of Judah that were placed on a table in the tabernacle in the holy of holies. They were kept on the table in the tabernacle for 7 days and were replaced every Sabbath with new bread that was offered to God. The priests were allowed to eat the bread when it was replaced but only in the holy place, because the bread was considered holy. Each Sabbath, the priest would take a ‘memorial’ piece, pour frankincense over it, and burn it on the altar with the other daily offerings. This is the bread that David and his men ate in 1 Samuel 21. It symbolized God was present with His people and that they were always in His presence. Hence it being called the bread of presence.

I believe the word purpose in this scripture means that we are to be set forth and placed in view for Him. Matthew 5:14-16 says, “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, it gives light to all who are in the house. Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Our overall purpose as believers in Jesus Christ is to be the light, the showbread for others to see that draws them to the Lord.

Along with that overall purpose to point others to Christ, we are also all given a specific purpose. The coolest part, so far, of my journey with God was when I discovered that He had something He created me to do. The God of the universe created you with all your personalities, intricacies, passions, and intelligence to do something specific for His kingdom. Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” EVERYONE has a purpose. No one is left out. If you are a child of God, you have a specific purpose that He created you to accomplish.

Discovering my calling has been the best part of this journey. When I first came to fully understand that He had something specific for me to do I was a woman on a mission. I was determined to discover what it was that I was created to do. I tried a little bit of everything. I tried the choir, homeless shelters, children, and youth ministry. Nothing fit until I went on my first mission trip. When I stepped off that plane it was like a light from heaven was shining down saying, “this is it!” Of course, I thought it meant I had to quit my job, move to Africa and live in a grass hut. It took me several years for God to pinpoint the specifics of my passion and calling for missions, but what an amazing journey it has been. I’ve witnessed things that most people only read about. I made lots of mistakes and wrong turns, but He always, lovingly pushed and sometimes pulled me in the right direction.

Our desire to serve God should not come from a place of the obligatory, “Oh, I HAVE to serve God.” It should come from a place of gratitude. 1 Peter 2:9 says, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” When I first came back to God at the age of 25, I was so grateful for His forgiveness that I could not do enough for Him. I felt such an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for Him pulling me out of my darkness into His loving light, that I might have been a bit annoying. I don’t believe that God gets annoyed, but if anyone could have accomplished that task, it would have been me. I was constantly asking Him, ‘What can I do?” Serving Him is not about paying Him back, because we could not even come close to accomplishing that task. It should just be that you are so grateful for all He has done for you that you want to do all that you can for Him.

All of this comes down to a choice that we must make. There was a point in my walk with the Lord that I said to Him, “I will go wherever you want me to go, and I will do whatever you want me to do.” God is asking you to make a similar choice of complete surrender to His plan and purpose for your life. You will not find His purpose for your life without that surrender. I just want to challenge you to take that step, make that choice to surrender it all to Him. The adventure that awaits you is better than anything you have ever experienced!!

Become the showbread, my sister!