#271 - Joby Martin // Abide And Grow

Summary

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Episode Overview

Episode Title: #271 – Joby Martin // Abide And Grow
Hosts: Joby Martin & Kyle Thompson
Air Date: January 14, 2026
Theme:
This episode of The Daily Blade centers on the spiritual practice of “abiding” in Christ, focusing on how Christians can love God “with all your soul.” Drawing from John 15 and other key scripture, Joby Martin leads a devotional on personal spiritual growth, pruning distractions, and practical steps to deepen intimacy with God. The emphasis is on actionable faith—both cutting out what hinders and cultivating practices that stir affection for Jesus.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Call to Abide in Christ

(00:20 – 01:45)

• Joby frames abiding as a fundamental spiritual invitation:
  • “Abide is a relational term. Jesus is saying, ‘Hey, come here. Come close to me and I will come close to you.’” (Joby, 01:18)
• Referencing John 15, Joby underscores the metaphor of Jesus as the true vine and God as the gardener:
  • We, as branches, are called to remain connected to the source of spiritual life.
  • Bearing spiritual fruit requires ongoing connection; “Apart from me, you can do nothing.” (01:41)

2. The Process of Pruning: Mortification and Vivification

(01:45 – 03:15)

• Joby introduces classic Puritan terms:
  • Mortification (killing sin) and Vivification (cultivating what brings life).
    • “You should be killing sin or it will be killing you.” (Joby, 02:34)
• Encourages listeners to evaluate their own lives:
  • What “branches” (sins or distractions) need to be cut off?
  • What entangles you or hinders a growing relationship with Jesus?
• Warns against rationalizing “stupid” behaviors that aren’t sinful but are spiritually draining:
• “Sometimes there are things in your life and it’s not sin, it’s just stupid.” (Joby, 02:49)
• Example: Obsession with entertainment at the expense of time with God.

3. Feeding Spiritual Affection: Connection With God

(03:15 – 04:20)

• Joby offers practical steps to fuel spiritual growth:
  • “What you have to do to feed and fuel that relationship with Jesus is some combination of God’s presence, God’s people, and God’s Word.” (Joby, 03:37)
• God’s Presence: Prayer, worship, attending church.
• God’s People: Brotherhood, community, spiritual accountability.
• God’s Word: Regular scripture intake and meditation.
• Listeners are challenged to self-assess:
  • What needs to be removed and what needs to be added to foster “loving the Lord your God with all your soul”?

4. The Promise of God’s Nearness

(04:20 – 05:15)

• Joby highlights James 4:8 as a core promise:
  • “‘Draw near to me and I will draw near to you.’ That means this is an effort that God will meet you in every single time.” (Joby, 04:36)
• Reassures that the Christian life means ongoing cultivation, not just a one-time profession of faith.
• Encourages deliberate action: Draw near, remove hindrances, and trust God’s faithfulness.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the gravity of Jesus’ invitation:
  “The sovereign king of the universe... gives us this invitation: He says, ‘Abide in me and I in you.’” (Joby, 01:11)

• On self-examination and action:
  “What is the sin in your life that you need to cut out? Not play with it, not pet it, not try to tame it. But what are the branches in your life that need to be cut off and thrown away and burned in the fire?” (Joby, 02:21)

• On spiritual laziness and distraction:
  “If you’re spending extensively more time catching up on the latest Netflix show and you’re not in the Word and you wonder why your relationship with the Lord isn’t growing, well, it’s because of this...” (Joby, 02:59)

• On spiritual disciplines:
  “You’re going to have to have [God’s presence, God’s people, and God’s Word] in your life.” (Joby, 03:42)

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Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:20 – Introduction to “love the Lord your God with all of your soul;” Jesus as the true vine
• 01:11 – The meaning and weight of “abide in me”
• 02:21 – The challenge to cut out sin & distractions; mortification/vivification explained
• 02:59 – Example of misplaced priorities (Netflix vs. the Word)
• 03:37 – Practical formula: God’s presence, people, and Word
• 04:36 – The promise of James 4:8 (“Draw near to me and I will draw near to you”)

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Conclusion

In this episode, Joby Martin unpacks the deep spiritual discipline of abiding in Christ, calling listeners to cut away sin and distractions while intentionally cultivating practices that stir love for God. With practical advice and scriptural foundation, the message is clear: True spiritual growth requires both pruning and nourishment. Draw near to God, and He will surely draw near to you.

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Transcript

[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.

[B]

All right. Welcome back. Day three. Today we're going to talk about loving the Lord your God with all of your soul. This is about our relationship with God. This is like the spiritual aspect of our life that we would think about. And the way I know this is because Luke 2:52. The Bible says that Jesus grew in favor with God. So are you growing in your relationship with God? John chapter 15 says this. This is Jesus preaching. He says, I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he takes away. And every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Now, these next verses, if you're familiar with Bible study, you've heard this 10,000 times and you take it for granted. But I want you to consider for just a second the sovereign king of the universe, the one that will sit in judgment over us all, the one that spoke into very existence, the cosmos in which we live. He gives us this invitation. He says, abide in me and I in you. Abide is a relational term. Jesus is saying, hey, come here. Come close to me and I will come close to you. As a branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine. Neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine and you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers. And the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. So are you abiding in Christ? Is your soul growing in its yearning and longing for Christ. Now, the illustration that Jesus is giving here is that of a garden. Like our life is like a garden. He is the source of life for us, and we are to be connected to him. And God is the vinedresser or the gardener. And what you'll notice here is there's some things that he's going to feed, and there's some things that he's going to Cut out. So let me put it on the bottom shelf. That means there needs to be some things in your life that you feed that stir your affections for Christ. And there's some other things in your life that you need to cut out. Now, the puritans used to call this mortification and vivification. To mortify means to kill, that you should be killing sin or it will be killing you. To vivify means to bring to life, to. To add fertilizer to this. So let me ask you, what is the sin in your life that you need to cut out? Not play with it, not pet it, not try to tame it. But what are the branches in your life that need to be cut off and thrown away and burned in the fire? And then not only that, sometimes there are things in your life and it's not sin, it's just stupid. It's things that just entangle you and hinder a growing relationship with Jesus. Some of you are way too into a hobby. Some of you. Some of you are obsessed with, like Netflix. There's nothing wrong with a show or two. But if you're spending extensively more time catching up on the latest Netflix show and you're not in the Word and you wonder why your relationship with the Lord isn't growing, well, it's because of this, then not only that, you've got to ask, not only do I need to cut some things out, I've got to feed the things that stir my affections for Jesus. And listen, I've been doing this a long time. I've been on church staff since I was 19. I'm 52 now. And here's what I know. What you have to do to feed and fuel that relationship with Jesus is some combination of God's presence, God's people, and God's Word. That's right, God's presence. Things like worship and prayer and going to church and worshiping with the body of Christ. You're going to have to have that in your life. God's people, we talked about this yesterday. You need some brothers in your life that are around you, that their shields of faith are covering you to help prevent the fiery darts of the enemy penetrating you. And you have to have God's Word in your life. So let me ask you, what do you need to take out? What do you need to add in so that you can love the Lord your God with all of your soul? And in James 4. 8, there's one of the most incredible promises in the entire Bible. James, the brother of Jesus, says this on God's behalf. Draw near to me and I will draw near to you. That means this is an effort that God will meet you in every single time. So what are the things that are keeping you, your soul from drawing near to God? Now again, you may be a Christian, you may have put your faith in Jesus, he's like neat. You're already clean because of that. But are you doing the kind of things to cultivate your relationship with Jesus? What do you need to cut out and what do you need to add? Because when you do these things, the promise of the God of the universe is if you will draw near to me, then I promise you I will draw near to you. Love the Lord your God with all your soul.

[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.