"Courtesy in the Home There is danger of failing to give due attention to the little things of life. There should be no neglect on the part of the minister to speak kindly, encouraging words in the family circle. My ministering brother, do you, in the home circle, show rudeness, unkindness, impoliteness? If you do, no matter how high your profession, you are breaking the commandments. No matter how earnestly you may preach to others, if you fail to manifest the love of Christ in your home life, you are falling short of the standard set for you. Think not that the man who goes from the sacred desk to indulge in harsh, sarcastic remarks, or in jesting and joking, is a representative of Christ. The love of God is not in him. His heart is filled with self-love, self-importance, and he makes it manifest that he has not a true estimate of sacred things. Christ is not with him, and he does not go weighted with the solemn message of truth for this time. GW 205"
"Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,"
The EGW passage emphasizes the importance of kindness, love, and avoiding rudeness, which aligns with the characteristics of charity described in 1 Corinthians 13:4. Both passages highlight the significance of these qualities in a Christian life, especially within the home.
"On the other hand, the minister who allows his children to grow up unruly and disobedient, will find that the influence of his labors in the pulpit is counteracted by the unlovely course of his children. He who cannot control the members of his own family, cannot properly minister to the church of God, or preserve it from strife and controversy. GW 205.1"
"One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)"
The EGW passage directly echoes the sentiment and principle of 1 Timothy 3:4-5 regarding the importance of a leader's ability to manage their own household as a prerequisite for leading the church.