Why should not labor for the youth in our borders be regarded as missionary work of the highest kind? It requires the most delicate tact, the most watchful consideration, the most earnest prayer for heavenly wisdom. The youth are the objects of Satan's special attacks; but kindness, courtesy, and the sympathy which flows from a heart filled with love to Jesus, will gain their confidence, and save them from many a snare of the enemy. GW 207.3 The youth need more than a casual notice, more than an occasional word of encouragement. They need painstaking, prayerful, careful labor. He only whose heart is filled with love and sympathy will be able to reach those youth who are apparently careless and indifferent. Not all can be helped in the same way. God deals with each according to his temperament and character, and we must co-operate with Him. Often those whom we pass by with indifference, because we judge them from outward appearance, have in them the best material for workers, and will r…
"To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some."
The EGW passage echoes the principle of adapting to the needs of others to reach them, as Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 9:22. Both emphasize the importance of understanding and relating to individuals to effectively minister to them.