Day 38– Stewart Kong

1. What do you do for a living? (occupation/field of study)

Attorney and counselor at law.

2. How do you like to spend your free time?

Watch old Italian and Japanese films.

3. Share one interesting fact about you that most people don’t know!

I used to have a birthmark in the shape of the Korean peninsula.

4. Do you have a favorite book in the Bible? If you do, which one is it and why?

Exodus, because there is a lot in there that parallels my life journey thus far. If God gave me 40 years to dump my idols in the wilderness, then with thankfulness, I recognize the serious things that I must do with my time left on earth.

5. Is there a verse/passage in the Bible that has significantly impacted your life? If so, which is it and why?

Deuteronomy 30:19.  "This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live," 

Deceptively simple is this verse but with clear consequences.  After years of college, law school, law firms, marriage, children, etc, my life became complex and problematic. Choosing life meant more than making enough money to feed my desires. It meant choosing a lifestyle that would lead to a more meaningful eternal life. Despite this knowledge, I was still concerned with the temporary and fun aspect of it. Choosing even just a small handful of idols in my life soon proved to be detrimental.  Now that I have witnessed the deathly aspect of these choices, I choose life not to just breathe in and out now on earth, but to live a lifestyle that pleases God, leading to eternal life.

6. Is there a prayer request that has been on your heart recently? If so, please share with us.

Please pray that God will grant me the desire to genuinely meet Jesus DAILY and the wisdom to make the best use of my resources, and a heart that is equally discerning in love.

7. Tell us about how you met Christ? (feel free to share a brief testimony)

I formally met Jesus at a winter retreat after hearing a sermon on Matt 6:21, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." At this time, I was already married and Gracey was just born. Distractions in life turned into a few idols, which led to many disappointments. Understanding the truth from the Bible about human nature enabled me to surrender these idols and understand that I can avoid deadly distractions by treasuring God with all of my heart. My desire for truth in God's word then led me to Matt 18:3, "unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." There is not enough space here to write about this one, but I can bear witness to God revealing in me the truth through this Scripture as one that cannot be articulated in words but only lived out by example.