"We are in the world, but we are not to be of the world. Jesus entreats that those for whom he died, may not lose their eternal reward by lavishing their affections on the things of this perishing earth, and so cheat themselves out of unending happiness. An enlightened judgment compels us to acknowledge that heavenly things are superior to the things of earth, and yet the depraved heart of man leads him to give precedence to the things of the world. The opinions of great men, the theories of science, falsely so-called, are blended with the truths of Holy Writ. CE 79.1"
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him."
EGW directly echoes the sentiment and warning against worldliness found in 1 John 2:15. The passage amplifies the idea of not loving the world and its things, connecting it to losing eternal reward.
"But the heart that is surrendered to God, loves the truth of God's word; for through the truth the soul is regenerated. The carnal mind finds no pleasure in contemplating the word of God, but he who is renewed in the spirit of his mind, sees new charms in the living oracles; for divine beauty and celestial light seem to shine in every passage. That which was to the carnal mind a desolate wilderness, to the spiritual mind becomes a land of living streams. That which to the unrenewed heart appeared a barren waste, to the converted soul becomes the garden of God, covered with fragrant buds and blooming flowers. CE 79.2"
"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
The EGW passage describes the transformation of the heart surrendered to God, finding pleasure and beauty in God's word. This strongly parallels the concept of being a 'new creature' in Christ, where old things pass away and all things become new, as described in 2 Corinthians 5:17.
"Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law."
EGW speaks of the need for spiritual understanding to see the beauty and light in God's word. This aligns with the Psalmist's prayer for God to open his eyes to behold wondrous things out of His law.