"“It has seemed hard to me that my motives should be misjudged, and that my best efforts to help, encourage, and strengthen my brethren should again and again be turned against me. But I should have remembered Jesus and His disappointments. His soul was grieved that He was not appreciated by those He came to bless. I should have dwelt upon the mercy and loving-kindness of God, praising Him more, and complaining less of the ingratitude of my brethren. Had I ever left all my perplexities with the Lord, thinking less of what others said and did against me, I should have had more peace and joy. I will now seek first to guard myself that I offend not in word or deed, and then to help my brethren make straight paths for their feet. I will not stop to mourn over any wrong done to me. I have expected more of men than I ought. I love God and His work, and I love my brethren also.” 1T 108.1"
"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not."
The EGW passage reflects on being misjudged and unappreciated, drawing a parallel to Jesus' experience as described in Isaiah 53:3. The thematic connection is strong, as both passages deal with rejection and sorrow.
"Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously:"
Both passages deal with the idea of being wronged and not retaliating, but instead entrusting oneself to God. The EGW passage explicitly mentions remembering Jesus' disappointments, and 1 Peter 2:23 describes Jesus' response to reviling and suffering. This is a clear thematic parallel.
"to comfort, encourage, and strengthen them with the precious truths applicable to this time!” 1T 108.2"
"Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do."
The EGW passage speaks of comforting, encouraging, and strengthening brethren, which directly echoes the sentiment of 1 Thessalonians 5:11, which encourages comforting and edifying one another. The connection is strong and relevant.
"Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers."
Both passages emphasize the importance of using words to build up and encourage others. Ephesians 4:29 speaks against corrupt communication and promotes edifying speech, while the EGW passage focuses on comforting, encouraging, and strengthening others with truth. The principle of edification through speech is central to both.
"Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine."
Both passages emphasize preaching/sharing truth and encouraging others. The EGW passage focuses on comforting and strengthening with truth, while the Bible verse focuses on preaching, reproving, rebuking, and exhorting with doctrine. The connection is thematic, as both relate to the communication of religious truth for the benefit of others.
"On our return home, my husband complained of slight indisposition, yet he engaged in his work as usual. Every morning we visited the grove near our home, and united in prayer. We were anxious to know our duty. Letters were continually coming in from different places, urging us to attend the camp meetings. Notwithstanding our determination to devote ourselves to writing, it was hard to refuse to meet with our brethren in these important gatherings. We earnestly pleaded for wisdom to know the right course. 1T 108.3"
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
The EGW passage describes a situation where wisdom is needed and prayer is offered to obtain it, directly reflecting the principle in James 1:5.
"Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day."
The EGW passage describes seeking God's guidance and direction, which is a clear thematic parallel to the plea in Psalms 25:4-5 for God to show His ways and teach His paths.
"Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
The EGW passage describes the Whites uniting in prayer. James 5:16 speaks of the power of prayer. While the EGW passage doesn't explicitly mention confessing faults, the act of praying together for guidance aligns with the broader theme of seeking God's help and intervention, which is present in James 5:16.
"For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
The EGW passage mentions praying together, which thematically aligns with Matthew 18:20 about God's presence where people gather in His name. However, the connection is not strong, as the focus is more on seeking wisdom than on the mere act of gathering.