Day 22 – Dave Kim
1. How do you like to spend your free time?
On the rare occasions that I have free time, I like to go out and golf with my wife. I had a lot more free time when I was younger and I regret not spending enough time with my family back then. There are so many things that I would like to do if I had more free time but I guess it’s a matter of prioritizing what’s more important. With that said, my top priority is to get closer to God.
2. Share one interesting fact about you that most people don’t know!
Although I’ve shared this with many people before, I realize a lot of people don’t know that I used to be a NYC Police Officer. Yes, the elder you know now used to be with the NYPD. I served 21 years as a cop and retired from the force back in 2016. By the grace of God, I had many different assignments which included things like major human trafficking investigations that involved federal agents. One of the highlights during my time with the NYPD was being the leader of the Korean presidential motorcade. It was a very complex job that required a lot of planning with the US and Korean Secret Service but it was definitely an interesting task. My last assignment was out of JFK airport - representing the NYPD with a small team of detectives working with the DEA, Homeland Security Investigation, DA’s Office, Port Authority PD, NYS AG’s Office as well as the FBI.
3. Is there a verse/passage in the Bible that has significantly impacted your life? If so, which is it and why?
It is Galatian 2:20 where Paul testifies, “ I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.”
Even after I received Jesus Christ as my personal savior, I struggled so many years living in the flesh. I struggled because I did not understand the true meaning of Christ living in me.
It may be very simple to understand for many people but it took me so many years to truly understand the meaning of the gospel with my heart. We all know that God sent his one and only Son to die for us so that we can live free from death. We had to die because of our sin, yet Christ died on the cross and resurrected from the dead. He is the living God who broke the chain of death.
If I am crucified with Christ, who died and rose again - who washed away all our sins - I then no longer need to worry about death and sin any longer. But just like Christ had to die, I had to be crucified on the cross with Christ. My flesh, my desires, my sins, my struggles, and all of my worries had to die on the cross with Christ. But just like Jesus obeyed God’s calling to get up on the cross, it required obedience from me, and I didn’t know what that meant. It required faith to see that dying with Christ would mean that God would take the lead in my life.
Since Christ rose from death, I too shall live again. But now I live by Christ and the faith that God gives me.
Before I understood this wonderful gift from God, I often wondered if there was hope after we died. It seemed like who I am and what I did was meaningless and there was no difference whether I died today or tomorrow.
It was during that time - when I felt like everything in my life was breaking down - God forced me to open the Bible and spoke to me. When I read this passage, (although I probably read Galatians many times before) the whole passage became live and started dancing in front of me and I felt the strong presence of God. All of sudden, I realized what all of my struggles and sufferings meant.
Not only I realized that all of our struggles had to be nailed on the cross so that I can live by faith from God, I also realized that if it is Christ who lives in me, my flesh will rise again just like Christ. Because the supreme God lives in me, and I live by Christ, everlasting life is in me. This is because He is the everlasting father.
4. Is there a prayer request that has been on your heart recently? If so, please share with us.
I have been praying for my brother (who is a half brother) for the last several years. Two years ago, he received two organ transplants and is still struggling with his health. He has been separated with family and it is not apparent when he will be able to live a normal life again. Most importantly, he turned his back to God long ago.
I remember going to church with him when we were young. But I guess many of us are tempted to walk away from God and pursue our own lives. I am confident that God will lead him to turn back around and repent. But I would need to continue to pray that his heart will be changed sooner than later.
5. Tell us about how you met Christ? (feel free to share a brief testimony)
I truly met Christ when I finally realized that He was always with me. When I was in YG, I proclaimed that He is my savior and that I am a sinner, but it took a long time before I realized what I was confessing. Through the prayers of many people, God showed me how He was with me even when I was home alone, scared on a rainy day. He showed me how much He cared and loved me, especially during my childhood which was very unusual and emotionally unstable.
My family’s situation back then caused us to move around a lot which caused me to attend four different elementary schools. Despite coming from a big family, I don’t have any memories of having family gatherings back in Korea.
These scars stayed with me until I finally realized that God was always standing besides me. The amount of love that He showed me was indescribable. It was just so overwhelming and it came like a gushing river that washed away all my pains and all my scars. I love you God!