#249 - Joby Martin // How Wise Spending Turns Christmas Into Real Life - The Daily Blade: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson

Summary4 min read

The Daily Blade: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson

Episode #249: "How Wise Spending Turns Christmas Into Real Life"

Date: December 15, 2025

Overview

In this Christmas-themed episode, Pastor Joby Martin focuses on how Christians can “win at Christmas” by spending wisely. Drawing from 1 Timothy 6, Joby challenges listeners to pursue godly contentment over consumerism, providing ten biblically-rooted principles for wise financial stewardship during the holiday season. The episode is direct, practical, and urges listeners to reflect on their priorities, both with their money and their hearts.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Trap of Holiday Consumerism

[00:20] Pastor Joby sets the frame: "I want you to win at Christmas... It's not about the lights. It's not about the presents. It's not even about the traditions."
Christmas can be difficult, not just celebratory, as cultural and financial traps lead many astray.
The enemy’s bait: overspending in pursuit of happiness or status.

Biblical Foundation: 1 Timothy 6

[01:00] Joby reads and expounds on 1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19, emphasizing:
- Godliness paired with contentment is “great gain.”
- The transient nature of material goods.
- The dangers of craving wealth and loving money.
- The call for the rich to put hope in God, not “the uncertainty of riches.”

Memorable Quote

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil... some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.” (Joby quoting Paul, [01:30])

10 Ways to Spend Wisely This Christmas

Joby offers highly practical steps derived from the text:

1. Pursue Contentment

[02:17] "Are you content? Because you will not find your contentment in stuff."
Teaching Moment: Are you raising kids to be content, or to be consumers?
Presents are fine, “as long as you don’t put your hope in them.”

2. Cultivate Gratitude

“Be grateful for what you do have instead of focusing... on what you don’t have.”
Promises a deeper dive on this topic in another episode.

3. Recognize the Snare of Stuff

"Money is a trick, money is a trap... Don’t buy into the trap."
Culture is spending billions to get you to believe you need more.

4. Examine Your Relationship with Money

“Do you love money? Because the Bible says the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil.”
Jesus taught that money is “the number one competitor of the heart.”

5. Acknowledge Your Wealth

“You probably are rich. If your household makes over $35,000 a year, you’re in the top 2% globally.” ([03:30])

6. Be Humble About Resources

“Don’t think the reason that you have all that you have is because of you. But it is a blood bought grace gift from God.”

7. Enjoy God’s Good Gifts—Rightly Ordered

“God gives us everything to enjoy. So enjoy it; get you some presents.”
“The only way... is if your finances are rightly ordered.” Don’t spend what belongs to God.

8. Be Rich in Good Works

“Don’t just buy stuff... Be rich in good works.”
Concrete suggestions: “Volunteer at your church, at local ministries—do good things for people.”

9. Practice Generosity

“Be generous. You need plan, priority, percentage, progressive giving...”
“What you do with your money leads and directs where your heart goes.” ("Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.")

10. Seek True Life

"True life is not found in presents and traditions and lights and parties. True life is only found in Jesus Christ." ([04:45])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

Pastor Joby Martin [02:40]:

“Let me ask you another question. This Christmas season, are you teaching your children contentment or consumerism?”
[03:12]:

“Don’t use stolen money—money that belongs to the Lord—to buy some stuff for people to impress them.”
[04:50]:

“Are you being rich toward God with your money this Christmas, or are you just being rich towards you?”

Timestamps for Key Segments

00:20 — Framing the Christmas challenge: moving past holiday consumerism
01:00 — Reading & unpacking 1 Timothy 6
02:17 — The start of the 10 spending principles
03:30 — “You probably are rich” — global perspective on income
04:45 — The capstone: true life is only found in Jesus

Conclusion

Joby Martin uses this concise, scripture-packed episode to call Christians to wise financial stewardship during Christmas. His message is clear: winning at Christmas isn’t measured by gifts or extravagance, but by contentment, gratitude, generosity, and keeping Jesus at the center. The practical “10 ways to spend wisely” can serve as a daily challenge—not just for the holidays, but for life.

“True life is only found in Jesus Christ. Come back tomorrow and I’ll give you another tip on how to win this Christmas.” — Joby Martin ([04:57])

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Transcript4 lines

[00:01]
A
Welcome to the Daily Blade. The word of God is described as the sword of the spirit, the primary spiritual weapon in the Christian's armor against the forces of evil. Your hosts are Joby Martin and Kyle Thompson, and they stand ready to equip men for the fight. Let's sharpen up.
[00:20]
B
All right. Welcome to a Christmas edition of the Daily Blade. We are the week before Christmas, and I want you to win at Christmas. That's right. I want you to be a winner this Christmas. It's not about the lights. It's not about the presents. It's not even about the traditions. And oftentimes, Christmas can be one of the hardest times in people's lives. And I think there's a bunch of traps in this world that the enemy sets that cause us to really lose at Christmas. So I'm going to give you five ways, one for each day of this week for you to win at Christmas. Number one, if you want to win this year at Christmas, spend wisely. That's right. Do not overspend. Do not get caught up in the trap that this world is trying to bait you with. First Timothy, chapter 6, verse 6 says this. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. Skip down to verse 17. Paul tells Timothy, as for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future so that they may take hold of that which is truly life. All right, here's 10 ways to make sure that you are spending in a godly way this Christmas season based directly on this text. Number one, answer the this question. Are you content because you will not find your contentment in stuff. Let me ask you another question. This Christmas season, are you teaching your children contentment or consumerism? Listen, presents are fine as long as you don't put your hope in them. Don't make it all about the stuff. Number Two, be grateful for what you do have instead of focusing all of your time, effort and attention on what you don't have. We'll talk about more of that on a coming up day. Number three, you have to understand that stuff is a snare, that money is a trick, that money is a trap, that we live in a world that spends billions of dollars a day to get you to buy that thing, thinking that it will do for you what it cannot do for you. Don't buy into the trap. Number four, let me ask you this question based on the text. Do you love money? Because the Bible says the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Jesus says that money is the number one competitor of the heart. And oftentimes the Christmas and how much we spend on things exposes this. Number five, Paul says, as for the rich in this present age and you may think, well I'm not rich. You probably are rich. If your combined annual household income is over $35,000 a year, then you're in the top 2% of wage earners on the planet. That means this is for you. So if you are rich, then number six, don't be haughty. Don't think the reason that you have all that you have is because of you. But it is a blood bought grace gift from God. So be gr. Number seven, enjoy it. He says, as for the rich in this present age that God gives us everything to enjoy. So enjoy it. Get you some presents. But the only way that you can do this is if your finances are rightly ordered. That means the first and the best does not go to you, that you bring the first and best to God because He first loved us by giving us his best. In other words, don't use stolen money, money that belongs to the Lord to buy some stuff for people to impress them. Number eight, don't just buy stuff but the Bible says, but be rich in good works. What are you doing this Christmas season to not just buy stuff but to be rich in good works? Volunteer at your local church, volunteer through some local ministries, do some good things for people. That's going to help you win at Christmas. Number nine, be generous. Be generous. You need plan, priority, percentage, progressive giving that what you do with your money leads and directs where your heart goes. And Jesus says where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Are you being rich towards God with your money this Christmas or are you just being rich towards you? And then 10, here's the payoff. It says that you will find life that is truly life that true life is not in found in presents and traditions and lights and parties. That true life is only found in Jesus Christ. Come back tomorrow and I'll give you another tip on how to win this Christmas.
[05:27]
A
Thank you for listening to today's episode. Before you go, if you want to help, equip other men for the fight, share this podcast around and leave us a five star rating and review. Stay sharp.
[05:41]
B
Sam.