Podcast Episode Summary

Podcast: The Daily Blade: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson
Episode: #269 - Joby Martin // New Year, One Life, All In
Date: January 12, 2026
Hosts: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson

Episode Overview

This episode marks the start of the new year by prompting listeners to reflect on their personal and spiritual lives. Pastor Joby Martin delves into the concept of evaluating oneself according to Jesus' greatest commandment: loving God with the entirety of one’s being. Drawing on key biblical texts, Joby invites men to move beyond compartmentalized living and consider what it means to live “all in” for the Lord in every aspect of life, setting the stage for a week-long, in-depth exploration of the Shema and its application.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Evaluating Life at the New Year

• Joby acknowledges the tradition of making New Year’s resolutions, but encourages a deeper, biblical reconsideration:
  • “New year, new you. And that's fine. I'm actually in Christ Jesus. You are a new creation. So the real question is, are you living that way?” (01:03)
• He reframes New Year’s reflection through the lens of Jesus’ teaching on the greatest commandment.

2. The Greatest Commandment: The Shema

• Joby recounts the exchange in the Gospels where Jesus is asked about the greatest commandment and answers by quoting Deuteronomy 6 (the Shema) and Leviticus 19 (“Love your neighbor as yourself”).
• “The most important commandment in all the Bible is Deuteronomy chapter 6. It's called the Shema because the first word of it is hear. And the Hebrew word for hear is Shema... It was like when my daddy used to tell me, listen to me, boy. That means, and hear. You're going to hear what I say, and then you're going to do something about it.” (02:01)
• The Shema demands more than passive listening—it calls for transformative action in response to God.

3. God as “One”—The Foundation of Life

• The Hebrew word echad (“one”) is explained as a statement of God’s unique, all-encompassing oneness:
  • “It's like not just God is number one on your list, but God is the page on which you would write your list.” (02:40)
• True devotion reorganizes the whole of life around God, rather than treating Him as just another priority.

4. Loving God With “All” – Wholeness over Compartmentalization

• Jesus describes the greatest commandment as loving God with all heart, soul, and might.
• In the Western view, Joby explains, we tend to divide life into arenas (work, social, gym, etc.), but biblically, life is united:
  • “You have one and only life and you are to love him with all.” (03:38)
• The commandment evolves in the Gospels to include “mind and strength”—emphasizing loving God wholly and integrally.

5. Diagnostic Approach to Spiritual Life

• Joby notes that only one verse describes Jesus’ growth from youth to adulthood (Luke 2:52), and relates this to the areas of wholeness in loving God:
  • “Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and man. Here's what this means. That Jesus, his whole young adult into adulthood life, he was living out what he said. The great commandment was that we are to love the Lord our God with all our heart.” (04:06)
• He encourages listeners to self-evaluate:
  • Are you loving God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength?
  • What needs to change this year to enable a more holistic love for God?
• This self-diagnostic process is teased as a focus for the week’s ongoing episodes.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On New Creation:
  • “In Christ Jesus. You are a new creation. So the real question is, are you living that way?” — Joby Martin (01:08)
• On the Shema’s Practical Meaning:
  • “When you see God for who he really is, the one true God, then the normative right response is that you shall love your God.” — Joby Martin (03:08)
• On the Shortfall of Creeds:
  • “In almost all of the creeds, the creeds talk about what we are to believe... almost none of them even mention that we are to love God... right belief without love is worthless.” — Joby Martin (03:23)
• Invitation to Action:
  • “Take a diagnostic this week... and ask yourself, am I living this kind of life? And if not, what changes do I need to make this year to love the Lord my God with all of my heart, all of my soul, all of my mind, all of my strength.” — Joby Martin (04:36)

Important Timestamps

• 00:01 – Introduction and call to spiritual “sharpening”
• 00:20 – Joby frames the episode: annual self-examination through the lens of the Greatest Commandment
• 02:01 – Explanation of the Shema and its deeper meaning in Hebrew context
• 02:40 – The nature of God as “one” and implications for our priorities
• 03:08 – The expected response to understanding God’s true character
• 03:23 – Reflection on right belief vs. right love (limitations of foundational creeds)
• 03:38 – The challenge of living an undivided life: loving God with “all”
• 04:06 – Luke 2:52 applied to holistic spiritual growth
• 04:36 – Call for honest self-evaluation and preview of the week’s focus

Conclusion & Listener Takeaway

Pastor Joby Martin sets a bold, inspiring spiritual challenge to kick off the new year: Don’t settle for surface-level resolutions or compartmentalized faith. Instead, ask whether every part of your life—heart, soul, mind, and strength—reflects a love for the Lord that is “all in.” Listeners are encouraged to join the hosts over the week for practical guidance on applying the Shema to all of life.