When aggrieved

     Quotations from the writings of Ellen G. White with the phrase . . .

                      w h e n    a g G R I E V E d             (  3  RELATED  PHRASES )                     

                       The  phrase  'when aggrieved'  appears  3  times in the published writings of EGW              See page on Original site                                                              Related Phrases:     felt aggrieved  ( 4 )  (below)

Man cannot read the heart of man. His judgment is formed from appearances, and these are often deceptive. God reads the intent and purposes of the heart. Do nothing in an underhanded manner; be open as the day, true to your brethren and sisters, dealing with them as you wish Christ to deal with you. If you had the Spirit of Christ, you would not notice slights and make much of fancied injuries. Your mind would be occupied in contemplating the love of Jesus, and devising methods by which souls might be won to Jesus. Ordained elders and ministers need spiritual discernment, in order that they may not be the sport of Satan's temptations. They would not then be continually seeing things of which to complain. If the instruction which Christ has given were followed out in a true Christian spirit, if each one, when aggrieved, would go to the offending member as Christ has enjoined him to do, and seek in kindness to correct the wrong, many a grievous trial would be averted, and souls that are lost to the cause would be saved. But how many resort to every other expedient rather than fall on the Rock Christ Jesus and be broken. All such expedients must fail.  {RH, May 14, 1895 par. 4}

 

 
Christ has laid down rules to prevent unhappy divisions, but how many in our churches have followed his directions? “If thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and [tell it to every one you meet?] tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church; but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as a heathen man and a publican.” If the instructions which Christ has given were followed out in the spirit that every true Christian should have — if each, when aggrievedwould go to the offending member, and seek in kindness to correct the wrong by privately telling him of his fault, many a grievous trial would be averted. { HM February 1, 1892, par. 11 }     See Matthew 18: 15-17

 

Many in our churches and institutions are not sanctified by the truth they profess. If they had the Spirit of Christ they would not notice small slights, but their minds would be occupied in contemplating the love of Jesus. They need spiritual discernment, that they may not be the sport of Satan’s temptations. They would not then be continually seeing things of which to complain. If the instruction which Christ has given were followed out in the spirit that every true Christian should have—if each, when aggrieved, would go to the offending member and seek in kindness to correct the wrong by privately telling him his fault—many a grievous trial would be averted. But many will resort to every expedient rather than fall on the Rock Christ Jesus and be broken. All such expedients must fail. { 15MR 196.1 } 
 

 

                   f e l t    a g g r i e v e d     |     w h e n    g r i e v e d                         

         

  You have been very close with us in regard to your true feelings, but have sympathized with others, and expressed great dissatisfaction of James’ course, and have received sympathy in return. Your manifesting so much suffering of mind has awakened strong sympathy in others, when you had no foundation for such feelings but your own imagination wrought upon by a tempting enemy. Your appearance has exerted the worst possible influence. If you had felt aggrieved, Bro. White was the one for you to have gone to and freely unburdened your mind to him, then you would have been convinced that your feelings arose from prejudice, misunderstanding, and misconstruction of his words. God’s frown is upon these things. That a company so closely connected in his work as Uriah, Harriet, and James, should be so exclusive and secretive as you have been. Those who labor together in that Office, their souls must be one, every separate interest should be laid aside, and they should have perfect confidence in each other, and perfect frankness and openness. And I saw that this must be so. Your influence has been against this. I saw that things in that Office must go forward with entirely different feelings and from different principles or God will have everything in that Office turned upside down. For months Harriet, you have felt wrong, acted wrong, spoken wrong, and been controlled by the enemy. You may call your feelings grief, but you have not realized your condition. You have at times manifested anger, and you have been selfish. The present truth has rested very lightly upon you, and selfishness has woven itself closely with nearly all you do. It is the natural besetment of your family, and it is a sin which God has rebuked them for, but which they would not confess. You have never realized it as it is. Your influence instead of strengthening and helping Uriah has hindered him, and planted in his breast feelings which would never have existed there if you had been consecrated to God. Your influence, appearance and actions have had just that strong influence on the wrong side that the Lord showed me two years ago that they would have, unless you stood in the counsel of God, consecrated to his service, with your judgment sanctified by his Spirit. Had you heeded the vision given you and Uriah two years ago you would have saved much; but you neglected all that light, chose your own views of matters, have been free to make confidants of those you should not, but have been very close and secretive to us, whom of all others you should confide in. This is the greatest injustice. { PH016 15.2 } 

 

The painful experience we had in Rochester while our brethren neglected to share our burdens was marked of God. At this time, Bro. Andrews was on the wrong side. Instead of lifting the burdens where they most needed to be lifted, he was with the murmurers and the jealous ones. He occupied a position where, if his course was questioned by my husband, he felt aggrievedand the impression he gave to others by his words and deportment led them to settle in their minds that my husband and myself were wrong. Brn. Orton and Lamson did not receive the correct impression; and a large circle connected with these thought Bro. White was severe and overbearing, and they felt justified to array themselves against us, because so good a man as Bro. Andrews was abused by Bro. White. The carrying out of their peculiar feelings of sympathy, led them to unite in blinding the eyes of Luman Masten to his own case. They daubed him with untempered mortar, crying, Peace, peace, to the dying man going down into the grave with his sins unconfessed. This unsanctified sympathy has proved the ruin of thousands.  { PH123 72.1 }

 

 
The painful experience we had in Rochester while our brethren neglected to share our burdens was marked of God. At this time, Bro. Andrews was on the wrong side. Instead of lifting the burdens where they most needed to be lifted, he was with the murmurers and the jealous ones. He occupied a position where, if his course was questioned by my husband, he felt aggrievedand the impression he gave to others by his words and deportment led them to settle in their minds that my husband and myself were wrong. Brn. Orton and Lamson did not receive the correct impression; and a large circle connected with these thought Bro. White was severe and overbearing, and they felt justified to array themselves against us, because so good a man as Bro. Andrews was abused by Bro. White. The carrying out of their peculiar feelings of sympathy, led them to unite in blinding the eyes of Luman Masten to his own case. They daubed him with untempered mortar, crying, Peace, peace, to the dying man going down into the grave with his sins unconfessed. This unsanctified sympathy has proved the ruin of thousands.    { PH159 175.2 } 

 

 
After you changed your location to Texas and had shown by confessing some things that you were sorry for your sins, your course was not what the course of a penitent man should be. You felt aggrieved that you were assailed and your name reproached. You sympathized with yourself in this matter, and then settled back in a state of helpless backsliding. Your example and your influence were not those of a penitent man. { TSB 176.4}

 

                                                                         felt  grieved
Brother G sought to move with great caution. He knew that the class who opposed the visions were wrong, that they were not genuine believers in the truth; and therefore, to shake off these clogs, he proposed to receive none into the church who did not believe the third angel’s message and the visions. This kept out some few precious souls who had not fought against the visions. They dared not unite with the church, fearing that they should commit themselves upon that which they did not understand and fully believe. And there were those at hand ready to prejudice these conscientious ones, and to place matters before them in the worst possible light. Some have felt grieved and offended because of the condition of membership, and since the organization their feelings of dissatisfaction have greatly increased. Strong prejudice has governed them. { 1T 329.2} 
 
At different times I have received letters of inquiry in regard to the duties of the Sabbath school superintendent. One who felt grieved because he could not awaken a deeper interest on the part of teachers and scholars, said that he took much time in talking with them, explaining everything he thought essential for them to understand, and yet there seemed to be a great lack of interest. They were not moved religiously. I would here say to this honest brother, and to any others who may be laboring under similar difficulties. Examine to see if you are not responsible in a great degree, for this lack of religious interest. { CSW 166.1} 
 

 

 

 

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Related Information

Grievance Grieved Christ by Personal grievance