text: In the house of the righteous is much treasure: but in the revenues of the wicked is trouble. ~Proverbs 15:6
  New housing developments will have model homes for potential buyers to survey and walk through. Model homes are designed to have the most up-to-date appliances, colors, furniture, and other amenities to appeal to a buyer’s taste. Some people enjoy walking through model homes to get ideas for the current home they are living in. Everything about a model home is to give a “picture perfect” idea of a home that someone will enjoy living in. Solomon refers to the house of the righteous as being a home where there is much treasure. Let’s see how the house of the righteous is God’s model home.
  In the house of the righteous, there is love.
  “Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.” A home is not a home where there is no love. Where there is love, there is sacrifice and giving. There is a mutual respect for one another. There is sharing and enjoying time with each other. There is correction and there is forgiveness. There are things that the family does together, whether it is reading, games, or chores. There is memory-building. It is a place where, when you come home, you feel like you’ve been missed for a long time. It is a place where comparisons and competition are not threats in the relationships.
  In the house of the righteous, there is laughter.
  “A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.” The age we live in places so many demands on every member of the family. Parents leave and come home stressed from commuting and difficult work demands. Children come home with a large amount of homework, tired from sports and music activities that they are in. Great treasure in a home involves laughter. Where there is laughter, there is less criticism, complaining, and covetous behavior. “A merry heart doeth good like a medicine.” It lessens stress, takes the edge off of anxiety, and encourages the soul.
  In the house of the righteous, there is life.
  For most people, home is just a place to eat and crash at the end of the day. However, the house of the righteous is a place where there is activity, team building, construction and repair, a sharing of ideas without contention, and a spirit of involvement. There are the sounds of music, singing together, praying together, and working together on household projects. Everyone is trying to contribute and do their best.
  In the house of the righteous, there is the Lord.
  Foremost, in the house of the righteous, the Lord is center stage. Joshua said, “As for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” David said, “Except the LORD build the house….” The prophet Isaiah asked King Hezekiah, “What have they seen in thine house?” The great treasure in the house of the righteous is that it is a place where God is worshipped, prayer is frequent, God’s Word is read and memorized, and everyone is encouraged in the Lord. The greatest treasure in a home is that the Lord is preeminent!
  Your home might not be the most modern; your home might not contain treasures of art; your home might not have the most expensive furniture; your home might not have gold and silver buried away; but when it has love, laughter, life, and the Lord, it is a house with great treasure!