It is as much our duty to be happy',

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"The joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10

Fear and sorrow naturally weakens us;
but faith and joy give us strength! 

Joy is the cordial of the soul: 
it quickens,  
it enlivens,  
it emboldens, 
and makes us strong. 

Our heavenly Father is called the blessed, or the happy God. He is also the happy-making God. He loves to see His people happy; therefore, as the God of all comfort—He has made great provision for our happiness. 

There are wells of salvation—and we should draw from them with joy. 

There is an inexhaustible fullness in Jesus—and from that fullness we should receive—for every need, for every duty, for every trial. We cannot apply to it too often; we cannot go to it for too much! 

Hear our beloved Lord, "Ask, and receive—that your joy may be full." 

It is only as we live . . .
out of self, 
upon Jesus, 
above the world,
in the region of God's free grace, 
that we can be happy.

The happy Christian is the strong Christian; and it is the strong Christian who . . .
brings much glory to God,
much credit to His cause, and
does much good in the world. 

It is as much our duty to be happy—as to be holy! Both are recommended, and provision is as much made for the one—as the other.