"There are many to whom life is a painful struggle; they feel their deficiencies and are miserable and unbelieving; they think they have nothing for which to be grateful. Kind words, looks of sympathy, expressions of appreciation, would be to many a struggling and lonely one as the cup of cold water to a thirsty soul. A word of sympathy, an act of kindness, would lift burdens that rest heavily upon weary shoulders. And every word or deed of unselfish kindness is an expression of the love of Christ for lost humanity. MB 23.1"
"And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward."
EGW uses the exact phrase 'cup of cold water' in a similar context of showing kindness and meeting the needs of others, directly alluding to Matthew 10:42.
"Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ."
Both passages connect acts of kindness and sympathy with the idea of bearing one another's burdens. EGW's statement about lifting burdens 'that rest heavily upon weary shoulders' directly reflects the concept in Galatians 6:2.
"The merciful “shall obtain mercy.” “The soul of blessing shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.” Proverbs 11:25 , margin. There is sweet peace for the compassionate spirit, a blessed satisfaction in the life of self-forgetful service for the good of others. The Holy Spirit that abides in the soul and is manifest in the life will soften hard hearts and awaken sympathy and tenderness. You will reap that which you sow. “Blessed is he that considereth the poor.... The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and Thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: Thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.” Psalm 41:1-3 . MB 23.2"
"The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself."
Ellen White directly references Proverbs 11:25 in this passage.
"Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness."
Ellen White directly references Psalms 41:1-3 in this passage.