Every month I like to do a blessings post, and instead of listing some, today I simply want to thank God for allowing me to be alive in this time period. I know that God has had plans for me from the beginning, and has known me from the womb (Is. 44:24, Ps. 139:13). Truly, I have been blessed to be a part of this century.

Now, that may seem strange, seeing as the podcast that I do on The Light Network is all about 1st century life. And while I do appreciate getting to see the places of the Bible and understand a little more what those Christians would have been going through, I cannot help but be thankful that I did not have to live during that time.

For example, had I been alive during the patriarchs, could I have blindly followed my husband to a new place (that even he didn’t know!) like Sarah did (Gen. 12:1-5)?

Would I have been ok to have to share my husband with other women, even my sister!, like Leah & Rachel did (Gen. 29:30)?

Could I have been devout in my faith to God and then suddenly switched to this new doctrine when a man claiming to be the Messiah came along–and even befriend Him!– like Mary and Martha did (Luke 10:38-42)?

Could I have withstood Roman persecution and even an order to get out of the town that I lived in because I was a Christian like Priscilla did (Acts 18:1-3)?

Would I have been willing to drop what I was doing in order to serve an Apostle, carrying this new message about a man named Jesus like Phoebe did (Rom. 16:1-2)?

Truly I live in a blessed age, where we can see the whole scheme of redemption and have the entire mystery revealed to us (Eph. 3:3,6). Where we can fully appreciate the planning on God’s part, and see His love manifested in the Son, Jesus. Where we don’t have different means of salvation based on different commands that were given to our husbands (see Noah, Abraham, etc). Where we don’t have animal sacrifices and rituals that simply roll our sins over from year to year, and where we have to go through a priest to have a relationship with our God. Instead, we live in a time where we can call the creator of the world Father, and where He calls us His sons and daughters (2 Cor. 6:18). We live in a time where we can have direct access to Him, and He listens when we speak to Him (James 1:5). And, above all, we live in a time where we can be baptized for the remission of every single sin (and after that simply confess our sins-1 John 1:9) and God remembers them no more (Jer. 31:34).

We are a blessed people. God has truly given us so many blessings that we take for granted on a daily basis, even one such as just being alive in this present Christian age and having the privilege of prayer and church fellowship and having multiple copies of God’s inspired Word in our homes!! Let us continually thank God for these marvelous blessings. Truly His blessings & mercy are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-23). GREAT is His faithfulness.