It’s summertime. A lot of us will pack up and go on vacations to some awesome places. Have you ever been to Rome? Vicki and I were there a few years ago. Now, that was a trip. They had a lot of really cool t-shirts there with “Rome” written on them. I also saw some very nice little plastic replicas of the Roman Colosseum. But was that the highlight of being in Rome? No. The reward of going to Rome was Rome.

The reward of being a child of God is having a savior.

I serve a risen savior, He’s in the world today
I know that He is living, whatever men may say
He lives, He lives, salvation to impart
You ask me how I know He lives?
He lives within my heart

He Lives, a hymn by Alfred Ackley

A current praise song says it this way:

And for every fear
There’s an empty grave

Overcome, by Elevation Worship

We have a savior. And He is not a dead savior. The empty grave proves that. He lives.

That is the reward of our faith. A savior. Most of us realize that we need one. But, even before we were aware of that, we had one. What a great gift.

I know that many of us received this gift years ago, but it should never grow old. Our relationship with the Son of God, our savior, should lead us to deeper things than buying a new cross or other souvenirs to put up on the wall (though those things are not inherently bad). The reward of Christianity is Jesus. You can talk to him. He is with you today as you go through life. He is with you in the great times and in the down times. His love for you is constant; it never changes. He encourages you so you can be an encourager to others. He has saved your soul. That is a great gift.

Summer is a time for taking vacations. It brings with it opportunities to do some traveling. As people saved through the sacrifice and love of Jesus, we should be excited about traveling through this life and into the next with our savior by our side.

Christ offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins and by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
— Hebrews 10:12 NRSV