Max Lucado - The Great House of God

the
GREAT
HOUSE
of GOD

ALSO BY MAX LUCADO

INSPIRATIONAL

3:16

A Gentle Thunder

A Love Worth Giving

And the Angels Were Silent

Come Thirsty

Cure for the Common Life

God Came Near

Gods Story, Your Story

Grace

Great Day Every Day

Facing Your Giants

Fearless

He Chose the Nails

He Still Moves Stones

In the Eye of the Storm

In the Grip of Grace

Its Not About Me

Just Like Jesus

Max on Life

Next Door Savior

No Wonder They Call Him

the Savior

On the Anvil

Outlive Your Life

Six Hours One Friday

The Applause of Heaven

Traveling Light

When Christ Comes

When God Whispers Your Name

FICTION

Christmas Stories

BIBLES (GENERAL EDITOR)

Grace for the Moment Daily Bible

The Lucado Life Lessons Study Bible

Childrens Daily Devotional Bible

CHILDRENS BOOKS

A Max Lucado Childrens Treasury

Do You Know I Love You, God?

Grace for the Moment:

365 Devotions for Kids

God Forgives Me, and I Forgive You

God Listens When I Pray

Hermie, a Common Caterpillar

Just in Case You Ever Wonder

One Hand, Two Hands

The Crippled Lamb

The Oak Inside the Acorn

The Tallest of Smalls

Thank You, God, for Blessing Me

Thank You, God, for Loving Me

You Are Mine

You Are Special

YOUNG ADULT BOOKS

3:16

Its Not About Me

Make Every Day Count

You Were Made to Make a Difference

Wild Grace

GIFT BOOKS

Fear Not Promise Book

For These Tough Times

God Thinks Youre Wonderful

Grace for the Moment

Grace for the Moment Morning and Evening

Grace Happens Here

His Name Is Jesus

Let the Journey Begin

Live Loved

Mocha with Max

One Incredible Moment

Safe in the Shepherds Arms

This Is Love

You Changed My Life

1997 Max Lucado

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or otherexcept for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Thomas Nelson, Inc. titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the New Century Version. 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Other Scripture references are from the following sources: Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV (NIV). 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. King James Version of the Bible (KJV). New American Standard Bible (NASB), The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. The Living Bible (TLB), 1971 by Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, IL. Used by permission. The Message by Eugene H. Peterson (MSG). 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. All rights reserved. New King James Version (NKJV). 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. J. B. Phillips: The New Testament in Modern English, Revised Edition (PHILLIPS). J. B. Phillips 1958, 1960, 1972. Used by permission of Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc. Revised Standard Version of the Bible (RSV). 1946, 1952, 1971, 1973 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. The Jerusalem Bible (TJB). 1968 by Darton, Longman, & Todd, Ltd., and Doubleday & Co., Inc. Used by permission. New English Bible (NEB). 1961, 1970 by the delegates of the Oxford University Press and the Syndics of the Cambridge University Press. Reprinted by permission.

ISBN 978-0-8499-4746-9 (repackage)

ISBN 0-8499-4081-8 (trade paper)

ISBN 0-8499-3995-X (Special Edition)

Library of Congress has cataloged the earlier edition as follows:

Lucado, Max

The great house of God: a home for your heart / Max Lucado.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references

ISBN 0849912954 (hardcover)

1. Lords prayer. I. Title

BV230.l73 1997

226.9606dc21

97-22821

CIP

Printed in the United States of America

13 14 15 16 17 QG 5 4 3 2 1

I gladly dedicate this book to my assistant, Karen Hill.

Thank you for thousands of hours of selfless service.

CONTENTS

I appreciate the following friends for helping, tolerating, resuscitating, and/or indulging me during the writing of this book:

Liz HeaneyYet another book, yet another year and still no regrets.

The Oak Hills Church leadership and staffIm out of hibernation! Thanks for covering for me.

The Oak Hills ChurchThanks for ten years (!) of joy.

Steve and Cheryl GreenI dont know what I did to deserve friends like you, but Im sure glad I did it.

All my friends at Thomas NelsonA hearty thanks for a job well done.

To all my minister friends who use my stuff for sermon ideasPower to you! You deserve a break.

To Laura KendallA tip o the hat for your dip o the quill. Thanks for your help.

Steve HallidayFor writing the discussion guide.

And to the readersSome of you Im meeting for the first time, others for the twelfth. You are so gracious to invite me into your home. Ill do my best not to overstay my welcome.

And lastly, to my wife, DenalynI guess you could say I love you a little. A little more every minute of every day. (Happy 40th, honey!)

I ask only one thing from the Lord.

This is what I want: Let me live in the Lords house all my life.

PSALM 27:4

I d like to talk with you about your house. Lets step through the front door and walk around a bit. Every so often its wise to do a home inspection; you knowcheck the roof for leaks and examine the walls for bows and the foundation for cracks. Well see if your kitchen cupboards are full and glance at the books on the shelves in your study.

Whats that? You think it odd that I want to look at your house? You thought this was a book on spiritual matters? It is. Forgive me, I should have been clearer. Im not talking about your visible house of stone or sticks, wood or straw, but your invisible one of thoughts and truths and convictions and hopes. Im talking about your spiritual house.

You have one, you know. And its no typical house. Conjure up your fondest notions and this house exceeds them all. A grand castle has been built for your heart. Just as a physical house exists to care for the body, so the spiritual house exists to care for your soul.

Youve never seen a house more solid:

the roof never leaks,

the walls never crack,

and the foundation never trembles.

Youve never seen a castle more splendid:

the observatory will stretch you,

the chapel will humble you,

the study will direct you,

and the kitchen will nourish you.

Ever lived in a house like this? Chances are you havent. Chances are youve given little thought to housing your soul. We create elaborate houses for our bodies, but our souls are relegated to a hillside shanty where the night winds chill us and the rain soaks us. Is it any wonder the world is so full of cold hearts?