Jesus was imparting wisdom to His disciples after they had asked Him to increase their faith. The parallel drawn in the first few verses of this chapter is that we can erroneously equate ministering to people and ‘doing the work of the ministry’ with ministering to the Lord. Yes, faith without works is dead. And yes, servanthood is key in this kingdom. But ministering to the needs of people, and doing good works, can never substitute or super-cede the privilege and priority to serve our Master first. ‘Seek the heart of the King, not the splendor of His Kingdom.’, is a quote from Tommy Tenney’s book Finding Favor with the King. So much has been taught, preached, and extracted from queen Esther’s encounter with her king. While serving the body of Christ with our God-given talents, our best still remains to draw near to Him and cultivate His presence within our lives. Spend time finding out what the Bible says about the character of God. Praise Him for His attributes. Thank Him for what He means to you. Pour your love on Him and passionately pursue His tangible, manifest presence. One of the many ways we do this is by quietening ourselves before the Lord and simply acknowledging Him and pouring our affections upon Him. Only bring your needs to Him after you have ministered to Him. And then honour Him by accompanying your requests with His promises to meet them – making them faith filled prayers. Developing our intimacy with the Lord will unlock His divine destiny for our lives. And oh, the sweetness of that position where we are nurtured and set apart for His glory – from the place of intimacy with Him.