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Learning Contentment with Brian Holtz

Faith And Finance / Rob West
The Truth Network Radio
January 15, 2025 3:00 am

Learning Contentment with Brian Holtz

Faith And Finance / Rob West

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January 15, 2025 3:00 am

“Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.” - Proverbs 30:8

Every generation has struggled to learn contentment, and ours is certainly no different. But God’s Word provides great instruction on this tough topic. Brian Holtz helps us work through it today.

Brian Holtz is the CEO of Compass Financial Ministry and the author of Financial Discipleship for Families: Intentionally Raising Faithful Children.

What Is Contentment?

In Philippians 4:12, the apostle Paul shares, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”

As Paul describes it, contentment is being satisfied with having enough—neither desiring more nor less. It’s a state of recognizing God’s provision as sufficient for every situation.

On the surface, contentment sounds simple: accept and be grateful for what you have. But as with most heart issues, it’s far more complex.

At a recent conference, attendees were asked two revealing questions:

  1. Do you feel you have enough?
  2. Who would like more?

Most people raised their hands to both questions. This honest reflection highlights a tension many of us face: knowing we have enough yet wanting more. As Proverbs 30:8 reminds us, “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread.” However, genuinely praying for “only my daily bread” can be a struggle when we long for more security or comfort.

How to Learn Contentment

Paul’s contentment didn’t come naturally—it was something he learned. His focus on gratitude provides a practical framework for us:

  1. Focus on What You Have, Not What You Lack

    Paul’s secret to contentment lies in appreciating God’s provision in all circumstances. Whether in plenty or need, he trusted in God’s sufficiency.
     
  2. Reframe Your Perspective

    Instead of longing for a better car, job, or house, focus on the blessings you already have. Gratitude shifts your mindset and allows you to recognize the abundance in your life.
     
  3. Embrace the Sweet Spot

    Paul’s perspective mirrors the balance described in Proverbs 30:8—a place between poverty and riches where we can flourish spiritually. When we focus on enough rather than excess, we experience greater peace and satisfaction.
Finding Contentment in a Discontented World

Contentment isn’t something we achieve overnight; it’s a lifelong journey. That’s why Compass Financial Ministry is dedicating its upcoming Your Money Counts conference to this vital topic.

The conference, which will take place in Orlando, FL, from February 27 to March 1, will offer an in-depth look at finding contentment in a world plagued by materialism. Attendees will explore Scripture, practical tools, and community support to grow as faithful stewards.

Learning contentment is essential for spiritual growth and faithful stewardship. As we embrace gratitude and trust God’s provision, we’ll find the peace Paul describes in Philippians 4.

For more information about the Your Money Counts conference, visit CompassFinancialMinistry.org. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to thrive in God’s provision and find true satisfaction in Him.

On Today’s Program, Rob Answers Listener Questions:
  • I'm looking to buy a new house near my grandkids before I retire in the next couple of years. I have rental property, retirement accounts, and other assets. How can I use these to purchase a new home without taking out a mortgage or depleting my retirement savings too much?
  • I'm 24 and live at home. I'm close to paying off all my student debt, which I'm excited about. I'm starting to think about budgeting, investing, and saving up for things like renting or even buying a home in the future. However, I'm anxious about transitioning to the "real world" and managing my finances. What's your advice for a younger person like me who doesn't have a ton of net worth yet but wants to honor the Lord with my money?
  • A few years ago, I invested in a private biotech company that has since gone public and is listed on the NASDAQ. However, I've lost my login credentials to monitor the investment, even though it's in a custodial account. I've tried to recover my login but haven't been able to do so. What's the best way to regain access to view and manage this investment?
  • I operate a nonprofit organization, and I'm considering trying to get a tax break for it. I was thinking about turning my residence over to the nonprofit. Can I get a tax deduction? What's the best way for me to go about doing that?
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Remember, you can call in to ask your questions most days at (800) 525-7000. Faith & Finance is also available on the Moody Radio Network and American Family Radio. Visit our website at FaithFi.com where you can join the FaithFi Community and give as we expand our outreach.

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Are you looking to deepen your faith and grow in biblical stewardship? The Rich Toward God Study from Faithful invites you to dive deep into the parable of the rich fool from Luke 12. This four-part study explores themes of greed, pride, and abundance, challenging you to reflect on what being rich toward God really means. Join us in this transformative journey through God's Word and discover how a life rich in faith can lead to lasting joy and fulfillment.

Happy today or place a bulk order by going to faithfi.com slash shop. Well, our guest is Brian Holt, CEO of Compass Financial Ministry and author of Financial Discipleship for Families. Brian, great to have you back with us.

Thanks for having me, Rob. Brian, contentment is one of those elusive topics for many reasons, but I like the idea that we have to learn how to be content. Wouldn't you agree that it's a challenging topic? Yeah, it certainly is a tough one, Rob, but it's also one of my favorites and it's actually going to be the focus of Compass's upcoming Your Money Counts conference next month.

Oh, that sounds great. Well, we certainly won't get as deep today as you will in February, but let's start with the basics. What do we mean when we say content? Yeah, in Philippians 4 12, the apostle Paul says, I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.

So I believe Paul is describing contentment as a state of being satisfied with enough rather than desiring more or even desiring less. I think that's well said, and it seems simple enough on the surface, but as you and I both know, it's not that simple. So unpack it a bit more for us.

Yeah, like most heart issues, it really isn't as simple as it sounds. You know, I was confronted by this a few months ago when a speaker at a conference asked a couple of simple but very revealing questions. First, he simply asked us all to raise our hands if we felt like we had enough, not of anything in particular, just in general. And as you'd expect from a group of faithful Christians, almost everyone raised their hands, recognizing that God had been abundantly generous. But then he asked the second question. He said, Who would like more?

And I had to raise my hand. It cuts straight to the heart. I know that I have enough. I know God has been generous and has given me exactly what I need, but I still want more. It immediately reminded me of the verse you opened with, Rob Proverbs 30 verse 8. Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. And the truth is, I struggle to pray that prayer because I want more than what I need for today.

I'll always like an advance on tomorrow's portion as well. Yeah, no doubt about that. And I suspect our listeners are resonating with that idea.

It's pretty common. So what can we take away from the Apostle Paul and what can we do to learn to be more content? I think the answer isn't explicitly stated, but I think it's in there in Paul's guidance throughout Philippians 4. As he describes his own journey of contentment, we see that Paul is clearly focused on what he does have rather than what he doesn't have. In all situations, he remains focused on the good and sufficient, whether it comes in the form of a lack or an abundance.

And I think this is the key to learning to be content. Although many of us have less urgent needs than the Apostle Paul did—he was worried about clothing, food, and water—we experience the same heart struggles, and I think we can benefit from that same solution. We need to focus on what God has given us rather than what he hasn't.

You know, personally, I need to focus on the car that I do have, which is just fine, rather than the car I don't have but I might want. I need to focus on the job I do have, working for a great ministry rather than the job I don't have, which would certainly have its own advantages. In all, I need to focus on the millions of things God has provided in my life rather than all the things God hasn't provided, and for probably very good reason. And just as you'd imagine, Rob, when I do that, I find myself feeling like Paul did here. I find myself learning to be content, learning to be satisfied with enough, truly enjoying that sweet spot between poverty and wealth where it really seems like God created us to flourish spiritually.

That's so well said, and I think, of course, we would all benefit from learning the type of contentment that you just described and that the apostle Paul had. Now, you mentioned that this topic is the focus of Compass's upcoming conference. We have just 30 seconds. Give us a quick snapshot.

Like I said, this is a big topic, and we certainly didn't cover it all in five minutes. And so, it's an area we all struggle in, and it's an area that's essential to being a faithful steward, so it's going to be the main topic of our conference in Orlando, February 27th through March 1st, where we dig deep into scripture to learn how to be content in a discontent world. Excellent. Well, folks, if you want to learn more about that conference, just go to compassfinancialministry.org. That's compassfinancialministry.org. Brian, thanks for stopping by. Thanks for having me, Rob. That's Brian Holt, CEO of Compass Financial Ministry. All right, your calls are next, 800-525-7000.

We'll be right back. You're young. You don't go to the doctor that often, yet health insurance is still so expensive. If your health insurance costs too much, maybe you should switch to an affordable alternative. Take charge of your healthcare with Christian Healthcare Ministries. CHM offers programs starting under $100 per month.

Check off the affordable box on your list and get back to what you really love, running your business or caring for your kids, and have peace of mind while doing it. Visit chministries.org to enroll today. Thanks for joining us today on Faith in Finance. In just a moment, we're going to begin taking your calls and questions, so this is a great time to call. That number, 800-525-7000. Got some lines open, perhaps one just for you, 800-525-7000.

Let's go to Munster, Indiana. Hi, Dan. Go ahead. Hey, Rob. Thanks for taking my call here.

Yeah, so here's my question. Basically, I'm over 60. I'm close to retirement, maybe two years away. I'd like to move to a different area near the grandkids. And I'm looking to maybe buy a house before I retire, so before I actually sell my primary residence. And I'm looking at some of my other assets that maybe I could use instead of taking out a mortgage.

It's the simplest way to just sell this house, buy another house, comparable value. But I have a rental property. Everything's paid off. There's no debt or anything on any of it. Of course, I got a Roth. I have IRAs. I've got an HSA. My wife has some whole life insurance that we could borrow against. She's got an annuity that's not been annuitized yet or anything.

And I'm just wondering if I'm missing something. I'd like to avoid either borrowing at all or reducing the amount that I would be borrowing at whatever, 6-7%. We do have really good credit, over 800 credit score.

So I'm just wondering if you, given those assets, is there ways to take advantage of them? Like I thought I could borrow against the rental property, at least that interest is deductible, easily deductible, I guess, because it's an income-producing asset. But then it's like I'll probably be paying a higher rate.

And I don't know if I could pull enough out of it anyways to just buy the new house. So anyways, I'm picking your brain a bit. Yeah, no worries.

I like the way you're thinking here because you want to get creative and honor this idea of remaining debt-free, which I'm totally on board with. All right. So you said I heard a few assets. You've got an existing rental property right now that you own free and clear. Is that right?

Yes, that's correct. And then beyond that, I heard you say you have a whole life policy. How much cash value have you built up in that? About $40,000 I could borrow without any problems.

It is paid up. And then beyond that, you have retirement accounts. What do you have invested in there?

About $800. Okay. And that's... And then what other assets that are liquid or semi-liquid? Well, there's an annuity my wife has. Is that a pre-tax qualified annuity?

No. She bought it like years and years ago. Almost every bit of it would be taxable if we pulled it out because it's almost all gains. And then I have savings, maybe $100,000 in my brokerage account. Yeah.

Okay. And then what are you looking to spend on this next property? Well, you know, I started off looking at like $100,000 houses, thinking I'll just be pretty easy. I could kind of just write a check for that. But I don't think I have the time or energy to buy that great of a house and rehab it. So maybe $300,000, $320,000, something like that.

It's probably comparable to what my existing home is. Yeah. Okay. And then are you itemizing currently on your taxes? No. Okay.

So you're taking the standard deduction. Well, I think you call out several great ideas here. I mean, obviously the cash. We don't want to deplete your emergency reserves, so you need to be careful there.

But that would be a source, number one. Obviously, borrowing against that whole life policy would be another great option. I'd rather you not borrow against or even withdraw from the retirement accounts. I'd really rather leave that money there because not only does it create a taxable event for the pre-tax money, you can pull it out tax-free with the Roth. If you're over 59 and a half, but now that money is not there to continue to work for you.

So I think there's a real loss there. So I think perhaps beyond using your cash and beyond borrowing from the 401k, or excuse me, the whole life policy, I would probably look at the benefit of perhaps borrowing against the rental property so you don't have to worry about itemizing. Beyond that, I would just get a straight mortgage on this new property and look to pay it off when you excel your existing property. So I think you're already on the right path.

I would look at those options in that order to be able to fund this. But I think you've got some great ideas here. Dan, we appreciate your call. Thanks for listening to the program.

Let's go to Sanibel Island, Florida. Julia, how can I help? Hi, I was calling because I live at home. I'm 24, I live at home, and I am close to paying off all my student debt, which I'm so excited about. That's great. Congratulations.

Now I'm like, thank you, thank you. Yeah, I'm in the process of transitioning from like, I guess, real adulthood. So like going about budgeting and hopefully investing. I've never really done that. And I guess kind of saving for like a home or getting ready for rent.

Also, what's your opinion on that too, renting versus, you know, owning a home at the younger age and just in the economy. So I guess I'm just a little anxious to go into the real world. And I'm curious to what you think about, you know, a younger person that doesn't have a ton of net worth or whatever, just going about that. So honoring the Lord with all of that.

For sure. Well, listen, number one, I appreciate your call. Number two, it sounds like you're doing a fabulous job kind of right out of the gate here, you know, in adulthood with finances. I mean, starting with this idea that you're almost debt free. So clearly, you know, your parents have afforded you this opportunity to live at home, which sounds like you've leveraged to take the resources you have and prioritize, you know, shoring up your financial foundation, starting with paying off your school debt, which is amazing. And that tells me something just about your discipline and your priorities. And now here you are calling saying, okay, what's next? How do I honor the Lord with his money? And that's key. And how do I go about saving for the future, even potentially buying a house at some point?

And those are the right questions, Julia, that tells me you're taking serious this role you have as a steward of God's resources. And so I think the next opportunity is just to start soaking in kind of a biblical worldview of money management. I don't think you need to be in a rush to buy a house, especially with the affordability being so challenging right now with high interest rates and houses at the peak, you know, of their, you know, price points, just given what's going on in the housing market.

I'm not saying we're in for a crash in any respects. But I do think over the next couple of years, housing prices will level off, we will see incomes continue to rise and we will see interest rates come down, which will be helpful to you. So I think you want to maximize this opportunity while you're with mom and dad, looking with an eye toward based on how you're communicating with them and what timeline they may have given you an eye toward getting out on your own, but probably saving as much as you can. And I think perhaps your first place is not a purchase, unless you can find something and save enough to put a 20% down payment. But if you can't, then I would say just continue to keep your lifestyle at a minimum and save as much as you can. And then if you get a job that offers you a retirement plan, great, let's start somewhere at least beginning with the match.

If not, I would say starting to put a little money systematically into a Roth IRA, even a couple $100 a month if you could swing it would be amazing because at your age with the next, you know, 40 years for this money to compound, you could easily be well over a million dollars just by putting in a modest amount each year and letting it compound for that period of time. So hopefully that's given you some things to think about. I'm going to send you a resource that I think you're going to love. It's called open hands finance, and it's going to help you understand God's way of handling money, but even give you some practical exercises to begin to work it out.

So you stay on the line. We'll get open hands finance in your hands and call me back and let me know what you think. We've got some lines open. We're taking your calls and questions on anything financial. Whatever's going on in your financial life will help you think about it in light of biblical wisdom and make a practical decision to move forward. The number 800-525-7000. We'll be back with much more just around the corner.

Stick around. For more information on how Christian credit counselors can help visit christiancreditcounselors.org. That's christiancreditcounselors.org or call 800-557-1985. Faith and Finance is grateful for support from Sound Mind Investing. For more than 30 years, they've offered financial wisdom for living well. SMI provides step-by-step guidance for do-it-yourself investors, from those just getting started to those getting ready for retirement.

More information, including a short video webinar on profit and peace of mind, no matter what's happening in the market, is available at soundmindinvesting.org. Thanks for joining us today on Faith and Finance. I'm Rob West. We've got a few lines open today, taking your calls and questions. 800-525-7000. That's 800-525-7000. All right, let's head back to the phones.

Concord, North Carolina. Hi, Edward. Go ahead. Hi.

Surprised to actually be on your show. But my question was, I was investing a few years back. A lot of the private sector became available for individual investors. And so I was doing my thing with biotech and I went with a company. But since then, I've kind of lost contact. In the beginning, I wasn't tracking it because it was early stage. And so my login credentials to monitor it, even though it's a custodial account, it defaults to two per year as far as on the custodial end. And my end, I could do it myself, but I somehow lost my login for this private investment. And they listed to the NASDAQ. And so I was trying to figure out how, what would be the most appropriate way to kind of view this or should I just get a lawyer and let them do the work? Because I've done what I could do with having come to any means yet as far as recovering my login. Yeah.

Yeah. And fortunately, I think I'm probably going to just suggest the things maybe you've already done, which is, you know, first is you got to determine where your investment is managed. It could be an online portal specific to this biotech investment or fund, or maybe it's a private investment firm, or venture capital firm, or maybe you have a direct relationship. And then I would go back and look for any of the onboarding materials that they sent. So this would be emails, documents, letters you received when making the investment. Maybe you got a welcome email with login details or instructions to set up an online account or a contact person or customer service information. And then I'd reach out as a next step to the fund administrator or the platform. If you don't have your credentials, you could reach out to the fund administrator if there's not an investor relations team or a support desk and provide your name and the details of the investment, the fund name and amount and investment date and then any reference number or account number or confirmation ID. Of course, if there was a password recovery, that would be great.

But apart from that, you know, once you verify security requirements, and so forth, you should be able to ultimately through the fund administrator, find out how to reset your access to resume information. If, you know, somebody is not available, or you can't locate someone or they're just unresponsive. Well, I think at that point, you know, you need to pursue other means by the regulatory authorities, but these would be the first few steps I would take. Does that make sense?

Okay, yeah, it does. Because I was just at my win ends with as far as what to do next, because I haven't come up with anything. I haven't gotten a response back. No notoriety from the company.

So I was going to do the next best thing. Probably hire a lawyer, maybe to work for me. Well, I think the other thing you could do is just reach out to the regulatory authority. So you could go through the SEC, the Securities and Exchange Commission, you know, you could also reach out to FINRA, the financial industry, regulatory authority or state regulators, but I'd probably start with FINRA or the SEC, because even as a private investment, you know, they would have some oversight and jurisdiction. There could probably help you with some next steps if in fact, the fund manager is nonresponsive. I hate this for you, Edward, but just stay at it.

I'm confident you'll get there eventually. Thanks for calling today. Anise is in Connecticut. Anise, go ahead.

Oh, hi, thank you for taking my call today. I have a nonprofit and I wanted to consider trying to get a tax break as I serve people. I didn't know how to do it.

I didn't know the best way to do it. I was thinking about turning the entire nonprofit over, giving it my home. Okay, so do you operate the nonprofit out of your personal residence or a separate dwelling? It's a separate dwelling, but it's my, you know, private home. So you own it personally, but you don't live there as your primary residence? Yes, sir.

Okay. Yeah, you're definitely going to want to get with a professional, a CPA to help you think through all this and probably an attorney as well. But just generally speaking, if you have a qualified 501c3 organization, you possibly can claim a charitable deduction on your personal income taxes for the fair market value of the building, assuming it's used exclusively for charitable purposes by the nonprofit.

Now, there'd be limitations on that. And you could also perhaps, you know, by gifting it to the nonprofit, you could avoid paying capital gains on it. And you would essentially have to transfer this property to the nonprofit through a formal property transfer that would involve a deed.

You'd have to make sure there's no liens or encumbrances on it. And then once it's owned by the nonprofit, then it could qualify for a property tax exemption, possibly depending on your state's laws. And that could potentially create more for you know, money available for the nonprofit's purposes, you'd probably have to get a valuation or an appraisal of the property. And, you know, there's some steps here that you'd have to go through to make sure again, you're a 501c3 and get the appraisal and then the deed transfer and then notify the IRS of the of the gift of the property to the nonprofit, and then apply for that property tax exemption. So I would get with your CPA first and then perhaps an attorney who can help you put all these pieces in place. But I think there is a pretty good possibility that you could in fact, turn this over to the nonprofit as a gift receive some benefit for that. And again, as long as this is going to be used for exclusive exclusively for the charitable purposes of the nonprofit, this could be a really great opportunity for both you and the nonprofit.

Okay, thank you. I appreciate that. All right, and he say, Tell us quickly what what it is you do? Who do you serve through the nonprofit? I serve many homeless people. And we allow them to come in and take showers, even if they don't stay there. We allow them to come in and clean up themselves and eat. We make meals for them.

And then we have six residents for both. Wow, that's incredible. Well, tell you what, you're doing work that's on the heart of God, the way I read Scripture. So well done, Anis, and may the Lord bless your efforts there. Thanks for being on the program today.

You know, at the end of the day, folks, here's the bottom line. We're giving because we want to express gratitude to God. You know, I think one of the primary reasons that we are entrusted with whatever God decides to entrust with us, however little or however much is yes to provide and even to enjoy we see that in First Timothy, but it's also to give and to give generously and what a what an incredible testimony to the world when they see especially right now in the midst of uncertainty and economic headwinds be able to say, I trust God. He is my provider and protector, no one or nothing else. And so I will give because I know it's not up to me. It's up to God to continue to provide.

And so I want to be a blessing to those around me. I hope that's an encouragement to you today. Thanks for being along with us today. Big thanks to my team today, Jim Henry on research, Devin Patrick, my amazing producer, and Mr. Adam Suddeth handling our phones today. We'll see you tomorrow. God bless you.
Whisper: medium.en / 2025-01-15 04:22:38 / 2025-01-15 04:32:24 / 10

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