Podcast Summary: The Daily Blade #270
Episode Title: Joby Martin // You Can Measure Your Faith By How You Love People
Hosts: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson
Date: January 13, 2026
Overview
In this episode, Joby Martin focuses on the concept that your faith can be measured by how you love people, drawing from the biblical Shema and practical applications for men in their relationships with spouses, children, and friends. The discussion challenges listeners—especially men—to evaluate the ways they express God’s love through daily interactions, with direct, practical insights rooted in Scripture and personal experience.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Unpacking the Shema
[00:20]
- The episode opens by revisiting the Shema (“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one...”), emphasizing its central call to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength.
- Joby connects the “heart” directly to quality of relationships: “So one of the ways that we love God with our one and only life is in our relationships.”
- Cites Luke 2:52—Jesus grew “in favor with man”—as a model for believers.
2. Measuring Love in Relationships
[01:10]
- Joby urges evaluation of personal relationships as a gauge of faithfulness, especially for men.
- Challenges listeners to reflect:
- “Are you loving your wife like Christ loved the church?”
- “Are you looking on how you can serve her or are you primarily looking to be served?”
- Describes Christ’s love as initiating, pursuing, and assuming responsibility—“He takes responsibility for everything in the relationship.”
3. Husbands & Wives: Loving Like Christ
[01:45]
- References 1 Corinthians 16:14 (“Let all that you do be done in love”) as the biblical core of manhood.
- Draws on Peter’s instruction: “husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way...as unto knowledge.”
- Jokes about the unpredictability of marriage—“Every single day you spin that wheel...come on, happy, give me happy.”
- Encourages men to study and understand their wives’ needs as deeply as their own.
Notable Quote:
“Are you loving your wife like Christ loved the church?...The way Jesus loved us is he initiated love. He pursued us, even when it wasn’t his fault.”
— Joby Martin [01:35]
4. Parenting: From Control to Relationship
[02:40]
- Encourages listeners with children to parent “towards relationship.”
- Notes how parenting changes:
- "When [your kids] are real little… you are in control of everything. One day when they get old and move out...you will be in control of nothing."
- Emphasizes discipleship and planning for children’s independence: “We should be on this continuum of planned emancipation.”
- Advises honest self-evaluation:
- “Are there areas in your parenting that you need to do better? Do you need to apologize? Have you been praying over your children?”
5. Friendship & Accountability
[03:43]
- Joby asks about men’s friendships—“Do you have your four Mac carriers yet? If not, now’s the time.”
- Describes the importance of vulnerability with close friends:
- “When is the last time you actually confessed sin? Sin, not just shared a struggle...”
- Critiques the euphemism Christians use—“Now, Christians don’t sin anymore, they just struggle. No, brother, that’s called a sin.”
- Encourages finding accountability partners (“Mac carriers”) and practicing real confession: “We would confess our sins to one another, that we may be healed.”
Notable Quote:
“If you’re not doing these things, if you don’t have these kind of relationships, get them. If you don’t know where to find them, get in a church.”
— Joby Martin [04:15]
6. Modeling Vulnerability: Praising Kyle
[04:50]
- Joby highlights Kyle’s openness about personal struggles:
- “Big, tough, brown belt, ginger Kyle...he will shoot me a text and say, bro, here’s a particular thing that I am struggling with. I need help. I need prayer. I need you in my corner.”
- Emphasizes this practice as godly and essential for spiritual health.
7. The World Knows Us by Our Love
[05:10]
- References Jesus’ words in John 17:
- It’s not outward marks (bumper stickers, church attendance) but “the way we love one another” that defines believers.
- Recaps core questions:
- “How are your relationships? Are you loving God? Is God being glorified in all of your relationships?”
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Relational Love as a Measure:
“Love God and love people. So evaluate your relationships. How’s it going? Does it need improvement?”
— Joby Martin [00:50] -
On Husbands and Wives:
“The way Jesus loved us is he initiated love. He pursued us even when it wasn’t his fault. That doesn’t matter. He takes responsibility for everything in the relationship.”
— Joby Martin [01:35] -
On Parenting:
“When [your kids] are real little… you are in control of everything. One day… you will be in control of nothing...you want to have the primary influence in their life that only comes through relationships.”
— Joby Martin [02:50] -
On Friendship Confession:
“When is the last time you confessed temptation, confessed sin with someone? If you’re not doing these things, if you don’t have these kind of relationships, get them.”
— Joby Martin [04:10] -
On Christian Identity:
“The world will know us not by the bumper stickers on our car, not by the church that we attend, but the world will know us by the way we love one another.”
— Joby Martin [05:10]
Important Timestamps
- 00:20: Introduction & explanation of the Shema
- 01:10: Evaluating relationships as a measure of faith
- 01:35: Husbands challenged to love like Christ
- 02:40: Parenting as a path to disciple-making
- 03:43: The importance of vulnerable friendships and accountability
- 04:50: Highlighting Kyle’s vulnerability
- 05:10: Jesus’ model for Christian witness through love
Tone and Takeaway
Joby Martin delivers his insights with directness, humor, and a practical bent, speaking primarily to men but offering lessons applicable to all Christians. The episode’s tone is encouraging, urgent, and grounded in biblical authority, aiming to spark honest introspection about whether everyday relationships reflect God’s love.