05/29/2026
Leo’s Fidelity
By Luis Astudillo, pastor
Fort Worth Spanish Salim and Haltom City Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Churches and Forest Hills Spanish Shalom Company, Fort Worth, Texas
Leo is a brother, a longtime leader of small groups at our church and someone whose life reflects a lively, practical faith. For years, he has faithfully returned his tithes and offerings—not out of obligation, but out of deep conviction that everything comes from God.
On one occasion, while visiting a newly baptized sister, Leo shared an experience that impressed me. He said: “Sometimes I don’t understand how, when I earn about $4,000 per month, I see expenses in my accounts that reflect expenses as if I had spent $6,000. But ever since I put God first with my finances, I have never lacked what I needed. He makes up in ways that I don’t always understand, but always on time.”
His testimony was not of wealth, but of trust. He was not talking about spectacular miracles, but about daily fidelity in the small. Even in the midst of more pressing economic situations, Leo never stopped returning what he considers “holy to the Lord,” even when he was not working regularly due to health reasons and lack of work. For him, tithing is not an expense, but an act of worship that always brings great rewards.
The most shocking thing was not his financial testimony, but his peace. In his voice, I heard no anxiety, just joy. He knew that his true treasure was not in his bank account, but in the treasure he is making in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).
Today, Leo remains a silent example within his congregation. His life shows that faithful stewardship does not depend on how much you have, but on whom you serve. As Malachi 3:10 says, the Lord opened “the windows of heaven”—not because Leo gave much, but because he gave in faith.
His story reminds me that God does not seek our wealth, but our hearts. Today, in giving tithes and offerings, Leo remembers that heaven records not the amount of the gift, but the faithfulness of the giver.
Today, we honor God together as we return our tithes and give our offerings for the local church budget.