A Legal Representative

When Piper was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and the symptoms began to take affect over her normal communication, physical and mental abilities, I quickly realized that I would have to step up into the role her representative and in many cases, as the interpreter between her and the world in which we interacted with on a daily basis.

In California the role was pretty straight forward.  As her husband I had the right to stand in for her and make the medical, legal and overall care decisions for her.  But once we moved to North Carolina, things changed.  It quickly became apparent that I would have to seek legal assistance to procure the necessary legal authority to make the medical, financial and long-term care decisions in her stead. 

It took a while and many trips into Raleigh (depending on traffic, an average of about an hour away) to the lawyer’s office and the county courthouse, but once the process was complete, I had all the legal documents complied into a binder that empowered me with the authority to act as her legal representative for just about any situation.

As Piper’s legal representative, I felt it my responsibility to make accurate decisions that would meet her physical needs, agree with her strongly held moral and Christian beliefs and always represent the best of her in every and any situation.  And while it was a very time consuming and at times daunting responsibility… Piper wasn’t the only one with whom I acted as a representative for.

As Christians, you and I have the legal right and authority to represent the Lord Jesus Christ in everything we do and say on this earth!  James 2:8 tells us that,

“Our calling is to fulfill the ROYAL Law of LOVE as given to us in this Scripture: ‘You must love and value your neighbor as you love and value yourself!’ For keeping this law is the NOBLE way to live.” 

According to Thayer’s Greek Definitions, the word “fulfill” means “to finish or perform so that the thing done corresponds to what has been said, ordered or commanded.”

Therefore James, the half-brother of Jesus and leader of the church in Jerusalem, is telling us that we are called or directed by the scriptures to act as Christ’s representatives in our daily lives… by fulfilling the Royal Law of Love, because it is the NOBLE way to live.

James specifically uses the term ROYAL when defining this particular action of LOVE because it describes a law or New Testament directive that is “of the highest excellence, and is regal and/or belonging to a King, and can also describe a person (ie; you and me) who is attached to (or in our case… adopted into the family) of the King!” (Thayer’s/Mounce Greek Dictionaries)

So, as members of the ROYAL family of God, you and I have the legal right to live a life that is indicative of our ROYAL inheritance.  Some would say that it is also a moral and ethical calling to live our lives within such a high standard of excellence… A life that is representative of “the King of Kings.” (Revelation 17:14 & 19:16)

And just how do we accomplish this calling and its subsequent lifestyle?  Well… the answer is simple in theory… but maybe a little more difficult, but not impossible with Bible study, practice and consistency in our daily lives.  The Apostle Paul gives us the “CliffsNotes” Study Guide answer in Ephesians 5:1 where he writes,

“Be imitators of God in everything you do, for then you will represent your Father as his beloved sons and daughters.” (TPT) 

And once again, how do we accomplish this?  By finding out who the Bible says we are by learning all that the Father God has legally provided for us through Jesus’ death, burial, resurrection and seating on the right hand of God in heaven.  Psalm 103:2 encourages us to,

“Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” (KJV)

As a New Testament believer, all those “benefits” and the information concerning who we are in Christ are primarily explained to us in the Epistles.  For you see, the Epistles were written specifically to us, the church!   Then “as you read and study the Epistles (or letters of St Paul and the other disciples), look for all the expressions such as ‘in Christ,’ ‘in Him,’ ‘in whom,’ ‘through whom,’ etc.”*  And I would also encourage you to underline or highlight these verses in your Bible as an aid for future study purposes.

The more you and I know of our inheritance and what the Bible says about it, the easier it is to put those benefits into use in our lives… and the easier it is to live as a positive influence to those around us in our calling and/or positions as legal representatives of Christ!

Whenever I took Piper to a new doctor or to a new medical center for additional tests or to apply for various local, state or federal government benefits or even for health insurance, I always carried my white binder with all our legal documents that approved my acting as a representative of Piper… and you know? 

You and I also have the ability to carry all the legal documents that approve our position as a representative of Christ… within the covers of our Bibles!  Pretty cool wouldn’t you agree!  And today we have the convenience of carrying our Bibles (& even countless versions of the Bible) in the phone we carry in our pockets!  Makes it pretty easy doesn’t it!

Have a GREAT weekend.  Our weather is starting to heat up again and the storms are supposed to stay out of our immediate area for a while… So, I’m a happy camper and am EXPECTING good times ahead as I live my life as a representative of Christ… How About you?

 

*From the mini book “In Him” by Kenneth E. Hagin – Kenneth Hagin Ministries, P.O. Box 50126, Tulsa OK 74150-0126 / www.rhema.org