"Many have indulged in needless expense, merely to gratify the feelings, the taste, and the eye, when the cause needed the very means thus used, and when some of the servants of God were poorly clothed and were crippled in their labor for lack of means. Said the angel: “Their time to do will soon be past. Their works show that self is their idol, and to it they sacrifice.” Self must first be gratified; their feeling is: “Am I my brother's keeper?” Warning after warning many have received, but heeded not. Self is the main object, and to it everything must bow. 1T 115.1"
"And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?"
EGW directly quotes the phrase "Am I my brother's keeper?" from Genesis 4:9, making this an explicit allusion. The context in EGW's writing reinforces the selfish attitude reflected in Cain's question.
"If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?"
Both passages address the issue of neglecting the needs of fellow believers while indulging in personal comforts. James 2:15-16 provides a specific example of this neglect, while EGW broadens the application to include the cause of God.
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
Both passages contrast earthly and heavenly treasures, warning against prioritizing material possessions over spiritual values and service to God. The EGW passage focuses on the practical implications of this principle in the context of supporting the church.
"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal."
Both passages address the importance of caring for the needs of others, particularly the poor and vulnerable. Matthew 25:41-46 describes the judgment based on these actions, while EGW applies this principle to the context of supporting the church and its members.