"If a minister's wife accompanies her husband in his travels, she should not go for her own special enjoyment, to visit, and to be waited upon, but to labor with him. She should have a united interest with him to do good. She should be willing to accompany her husband, if home cares do not hinder, and she should aid him in his efforts to save souls. With meekness and humility, yet with a noble self-reliance, she should have a leading influence upon minds around her, and should act her part and bear her cross and burden in meeting, and around the family altar, and in conversation at the fireside. The people expect this, and they have a right to expect it. If these expectations are not realized, the husband's influence is more than half destroyed. The wife of a minister can do much if she will. If she possesses the spirit of self-sacrifice and has a love for souls, she can with him do almost an equal amount of good. 1T 452.1"
"Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ."
The EGW passage speaks of the minister's wife bearing burdens alongside her husband in ministry. This aligns with the general principle of Galatians 6:2, which encourages believers to bear one another's burdens. The connection is thematic, focusing on shared responsibility and support.
"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."
The EGW passage emphasizes meekness and humility, qualities also highlighted in Matthew 11:29. While the context differs, the shared emphasis on these virtues makes the connection a valid thematic parallel.
"The wives of ministers should live devoted, prayerful lives. But some would enjoy a religion in which there are no crosses and which calls for no self-denial and exertion on their part. Instead of standing nobly for themselves, leaning upon God for strength and bearing their individual responsibility, they have much of the time been dependent upon others, deriving their spiritual life from them. If they would only lean confidingly, in childlike trust, upon God, and have their affections centered in Jesus, deriving their life from Christ, the living Vine, what an amount of good they might do, what a help they might be to others, what a support to their husbands, and what a reward would be theirs in the end! “Well done, good and faithful servants,” would fall like sweetest music upon their ears. The words, “Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord,” would repay them a thousand times for all suffering and trials endured to save precious souls. 1T 452.3"
"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."
EGW explicitly uses the phrase "Christ, the living Vine," which is a direct reference to John 15:5. The concept of deriving life from Christ is also central to both passages.
"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me."
The EGW passage directly addresses self-denial and taking up one's cross, mirroring the core message of Matthew 16:24. The context of discipleship and following Christ is also present in both.
"Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah."
While the EGW passage doesn't explicitly quote Psalm 62:8, the emphasis on trusting in God and pouring out one's heart to Him aligns with the psalm's message. The psalm speaks of God as a refuge, and EGW speaks of leaning on God for strength. The connection is thematic rather than a direct principle.