Devotion

 God is Faithful - and Faithfulness is also a Fruit of the Spirit

"After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.'" — Acts 1:9–11

Imagine standing on a hillside, watching the one you love most disappear into a cloud! 

That is exactly where the disciples found themselves on the day of the Ascension. Jesus, their teacher, their friend, the one who had died and risen again, was taken up into heaven right before their eyes. And they stood there, necks craned, staring at an empty sky.

We can understand why. What do you do after something like that?

But notice what the angels said — not a word of comfort about missing Jesus, but a gentle, almost amused question: "Why do you stand here looking into the sky?" It's as if they were saying: You have work to do. Keep going.

This is the heartbeat of faithfulness — one of the beautiful fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5:22–23. Faithfulness is not a feeling. It is a decision to keep going when the path ahead is uncertain, when the One you follow is no longer visible, and when the crowd around you has drifted away. It is showing up to your responsibilities, even when no one is watching and no one is applauding.

The disciples could have scattered after the Ascension. Instead, they went back to Jerusalem and waited together in prayer (Acts 1:14). They were faithful in the waiting. And ten days later, the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost and changed the world.

The same Spirit lives in us. And that Spirit produces faithfulness in our lives — not through willpower, but through surrender.

For students: Faithfulness might look like finishing your assignment even when it's hard, keeping a promise to a friend, or showing up to practice when you'd rather stay home. Small acts. Quiet faithfulness. But God sees every one of them.

Jesus ascended into heaven — but He did not abandon us. He sent His Spirit to dwell within us, and He promised He will return. In light of that promise, we are not left gazing at empty skies. We are sent, sustained by His Spirit, to be faithful in all the small and significant things He has placed in front of us today.

Where in your life is God calling you to simply — faithfully — keep going?

Dear God, 

Thank You that You are faithful — yesterday, today, and forever. Even when we are unsure, distracted, or weary, Your faithfulness never wavers. You kept every promise You made, and the greatest of all was Jesus — who came, who died, who rose, and who ascended in glory with the certain promise that He will come again. May we continue to hear the gentle call of Your Spirit: Keep going. I am with you. I am coming back.

Amen.

Blessings!

Will Wallace

Principal