"The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it will obey you.” Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, “come along now and sit down to eat?” Won’t he rather say,” prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink?” Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, “we are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty” (Luke 17:5-10).

This scripture is the only place in the Bible where we find a “recipe” on how faith increases. We see that with increased faith comes increased responsibility and new tasks.

The first task the servant was given, was to plow and to herd.

Many people dream of serving the Lord from a platform, a stage or somewhere else in the spotlight. The servant described in Luke 17 was told to perform his tasks in a place with no audience. Plowing and herding is done in the fields, where no one sees it. When he had completed his imposed task he returned to the house hungry, but instead of food, he was given a new task

The second task was to prepare supper for his Lord.

One cannot deny that a man who has worked only as a shepherd and in the fields does probably not know his way around the kitchen. He may not be able to cook at all. This tells us that when the Lord gives us a new task, it is something brand new, not something we are already trained to do or comfortable with doing. As our faith increases we have to learn how to manage new tasks. We learn by doing, and from our previous mistakes. When we know a task is given us from the Lord, it is important to not give up even if we don’t succeed at first.

The third task was to serve his Lord.

This might sound simple, but it also requires certain skills. In nice restaurants you are served from your right side, while used plates, glasses and silverware are removed from your left side. The waiter should keep distance to avoid disturbing the guest, and at the same time stay close enough to see the guests needs. To serve needs to be learned.

All three tasks affect the servant. He started out in the fields, then came into the house and the kitchen, and ended up serving in his Lords presence. Increased faith brings us closer to our Lord.

Notice that the Lord knew that his servant was hungry after spending a day in the fields. Our Lord knows about our personal needs, whether they are financial, relational or something else. While the servant wondered how his needs could be met, the Lord gave him a new task. This teaches us that it is not our needs that matter the most, but rather Jesus’ needs. When the servant, in obedience to his Lord, went to the kitchen to cook for supper, he also got his needs covered. When we are obedient to Jesus, he will guide us so that our personal needs are met.

Faithfulness is the key to increased faith.

We know that our calling is to have fellowship with Jesus: “God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:9).

We know that faith comes from hearing: “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.” (Romans 10:17).

We also know that: “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.” (Luke 16:10).

And we know that the one that is faithful in little will be put above greater things: “…well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Matthew 25:23).

Out of these scriptures we can see that faith increases by having fellowship with Jesus Christ. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” (John 10:27). When we have fellowship with Him, we are given new tasks we need to learn how to execute. When we faithfully carry out these tasks we come closer to Jesus. We are also made able to perform a larger number of tasks. The servant in the scripture could eventually both plow, herd, cook and serve. His personal needs did not matter as much as his Lord’s needs. He suffered so that his Lord could be well fed.

Paul says, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:12-13).

David started his service as a servant in the fields. He faithfully herded his father’s sheep. Step by step he was given larger tasks, until he eventually became king of Israel.

Let this motivate you to not take lightly on the task given you by Jesus. You may not have a visible audience applauding you, but God is watching you from heaven.