"The person replied: “Cut out the garments; that is your duty. The loss is not yours, but mine. God sees not as man sees. He lays out the work that He would have done, and you do not know which will prosper, this or that. It will be found that many such poor souls will go into the kingdom, while others, who are favored with all the blessings of life, having good intellects and pleasant surroundings, giving them all the advantages of improvement, will be left out. It will be seen that these poor souls have lived up to the feeble light which they had, and have improved by the limited means within their reach, and lived much more acceptably than some others who have enjoyed full light, and ample means for improvement.” LS 184.1"
"But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."
The phrase "God sees not as man sees" is a direct quote/allusion to 1 Samuel 16:7. The surrounding context in EGW's writing reinforces the principle that God judges differently than humans, focusing on the heart and effort rather than outward appearances or advantages.
"I then held up my hands, calloused as they were with long use of the shears, and stated that I could but shrink at the thought of pursuing this kind of labor. LS 184.2"
"And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:"
Both passages refer to manual labor and the use of one's hands. While 1 Corinthians 4:12 focuses on labor in the face of adversity, the EGW passage expresses hesitation about continuing such labor. There is a clear thematic overlap regarding the act of working with one's hands.
"With feelings of great weariness I arose to engage in the work. Before me lay new, polished shears, which I commenced using. At once my feelings of weariness and discouragement left me, the shears seemed to cut with hardly an effort on my part, and I cut out garment after garment with comparative ease. LS 184.4"
"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
The EGW passage describes a situation where she felt strengthened to perform a task, directly echoing the principle of Philippians 4:13 about being able to do all things through Christ's strength.