Hey everybody, welcome to the podcast, I’m Nick and it’s fabulous to be here with you today.
Today is August 27.
Each day, we follow a simple rhythm: Slow Down, Read, Notice, Reread, Meditate, Respond, and Exercise.
Let’s begin.

Slow Down

We carry so much around every day — financial worries, relational stress, anxiety about the future, and the pressure to succeed.
Now is the time to set those things down for a few minutes and enjoy some time with Jesus.
Close your eyes. Take a deep breath in, then slowly release it.
As you inhale, whisper: “Jesus, I want to repent of my sins.”
As you exhale, pray: “I turn to You.”
Do this three times, then rest in His presence.

Read

About this time Jesus was informed that Pilate had murdered some people from Galilee as they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. “Do you think those Galileans were worse sinners than all the other people from Galilee?” Jesus asked. “Is that why they suffered? Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God. And what about the eighteen people who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them? Were they the worst sinners in Jerusalem? No, and I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish, too.”
Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’
“The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertilizer. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’ ”
(Luke 13:1–9, NLT)

Notice

What stands out to you in this passage?
Is there a phrase that surprises or challenges you?
Hold it in your heart for a moment.

Reread

Hear this passage again — and notice what Jesus says about tragedy, repentance, and patience.

Meditate

When tragedy strikes, we want to know why.
The crowd comes to Jesus with a horrific story — Pilate has murdered Galileans while they were offering sacrifices at the Temple. And underneath their report is an unspoken question: Did they deserve it? Were they worse sinners than everyone else?
It's a very human question. We want tragedy to make sense. We want it to be someone's fault — because if it's their fault, then we're safe. If they suffered because of their sin, then as long as we're not that sinful, we're protected.
Jesus refuses that logic entirely. "Not at all," He says. Those Galileans were not worse sinners. The eighteen who died when the tower fell were not the worst sinners in Jerusalem.
Tragedy is not a report card on someone's sin.
But then Jesus does something unexpected. He uses these tragedies not to assign blame — but to issue an invitation. "Unless you repent, you will perish too."
He's not saying: they died because they were sinful. He's saying: death is coming for all of us. The question isn't whether you'll face the end — it's whether you'll be ready when you do.
And then the fig tree. The owner has been waiting three years for fruit. Nothing. He's ready to cut it down. But the gardener intercedes: "Give it one more year. Let me give it special attention. Let me fertilize it. Let's see what it can become."
That gardener is Jesus. And that extra year — that season of special attention and grace — is the time we're living in right now.
God is patient. He is tending. He is giving us every opportunity to bear fruit. But the patience of God is not the absence of urgency. The tree that never bears fruit will eventually be cut down.
The question is: what fruit is growing in your life right now?
Take a few moments to sit with this question:
Am I bearing the fruit of repentance — or am I taking God's patience for granted?

Respond

Jesus, thank You for Your patience with me. Thank You for interceding — for giving me more time, more grace, more opportunity to turn to You and bear fruit. I don't want to take that patience for granted. I want to repent — genuinely, fully, from the heart. And I want to bear fruit that shows it.

Exercise

The rush of life will meet you again when you leave this sacred place—but you can carry this moment into your day by forming new habits.
Habit: Bear Fruit Today
Today's habit is an act of genuine repentance: identify one area of your life where you've been taking God's patience for granted — one place where you've been unfruitful, where you've been meaning to change but haven't.
Not a general sense of unworthiness. Something specific. A pattern. A habit. A relationship. A sin you keep returning to. A calling you keep ignoring. A fruit that should be growing but isn't.
Write it down. Be honest.
Now bring it to Jesus — the gardener who intercedes, who tends, who gives special attention — and pray: "Jesus, I've been unfruitful in _________________. I've been taking Your patience for granted. I know You've been tending me, giving me more time, more grace, more opportunity. I don't want to waste it. I repent of _________________. I turn to You. Help me to bear fruit — real fruit, lasting fruit — that shows I've truly turned."
I have two asks of you before you go, could you please share this podcast with one person today and check out the review of this podcast on Elevate Society?

That’s your two minutes with Jesus for today.
Now, take what you’ve heard…share it and live it.
Until next time, keep slowing down, keep listening, and keep walking with Jesus.