A RELATIONSHIP GOVERNED BY RULES

Going to heaven is based solely upon having a relationship with Christ; one in which you place your total trust in Him. This relationship also involves rules you live by and guidelines that make you more godly. A tennis player isn't free to play tennis if there is no baseline to let him or her know whether the ball is "in or out." A baseball player isn't free to play baseball without a foul line. A football player is not free to play football without sidelines. You cannot be truly free without restraints. For example, a fish is not free to wander through the jungle, and a lion is not free to dwell in the ocean. Neither was made for that. Freedom is having the benefits accumulate to you that you were created to receive. Freedom doesn't mean no boundaries. Freedom "in Christ" means that within the right boundaries, you get to experience "life more abundant" (See In 10:10), James writes, "If you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says..God will bless you for doing it." On top of the Statue of Liberty is a crown with seven spikes depicting the seven seas and seven continents, meaning wherever you are, you can come to America. At the bottom of the statue is a broken chain, meaning you can come to America and find freedom. But when you come, you must agree to honor the rules that govern the relationship.