God's Word and Man's; Their Relative Effect
W. Baxendale. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when you received the word of God which you heard of us… A clergyman had prepared a certain sermon with great care, and had reason to hope that it would be attended with a great blessing, for which he had sought with earnest prayer. The sermon was preached with great effect, and he came down from the pulpit full of hope. A widow stopped him on his way to the vestry and begged a word. "Ah!" he said to himself "it is coming as I expected. I thought it would not be preached in vain." Then to the woman "What part of the sermon struck you most, the beginning or the ending?" "Well sir," she replied, "I do not know much about the beginning or the ending; but you said 'God so loved the world that He gave,'" etc. The doctor was struck to the heart. All his fine words forgotten, but one of God's words made effectual. (W. Baxendale.) Parallel Verses KJV: For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. WEB: For this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when you received from us the word of the message of God, you accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also works in you who believe.