February 16

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous. — Ps 32:11

Joy is a Christian duty. God wants all His children to be happy. Do they never have any troubles? Yes, many. Still God wants us to rejoice.

We must notice, however, what kind of joy it is which we are so earnestly urged to have. It is not the world’s joy – “Be glad in the Lord.” Those whose gladness depends only on earthly things have no assurance of its lasting long, for all earthly things are transitory.

When it is the love of Christ that gives us gladness, our joy is sure beyond failure, for He loveth us to the end. To be glad in the Lord is to do day by day our simple duty, leaving to Him all the care, all providing, all protecting, never allowing a shadow of anxiety to cross our mind.

“And should the twilight darken into night,
And sorrow grow to anguish, be thou strong;
Thou art in God, and nothing can go wrong
Which a fresh life–pulse cannot set aright.”