Is it better?

I am writing this blog in an effort to praise God for all that he has done in my life and also in an effort to uplift those around me that are willing to take the time to read it.

Have you ever heard someone say how much better life was in the old days? If only we could go back then... Or that the Bible times were so much better, with all the prophets, and God speaking to man. Understand that I do not want to deny any nostalgic memories to those who go on wishing for the better days, but I have a different view on this.
Here is my premise: man is a flawed sinful being in need of a savior, not matter what age he lives in. Period. It is that simple. Think about it. Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, in the presence of God himself, had very few commands to follow (mainly keep the garden and don't touch that fruit), and yet they still broke the command of God. And that is sin. Breaking the command of God. And it hasn't stopped since. In the patriarchal age God spoke directly to man, addressing the main leader of the families like Abraham and Noah for example. Yet the world became so sinful and man was so evil that it repented God that he had created man (Gen 6:6) And he destroyed the earth with the flood, sparing Noah and his family. Then the earth gets repopulated and in the time of Abraham, God wipes out Sodom and Gomorrah (see Gen 19) because they were so evil.
So maybe it was better for Israel, God's chosen nation. They were lucky enough to be handpicked by God to get all his wisdom and guidance on how to best live on this earth (see Exodus, Deuteronomy and Leviticus). He gave them commands on how to prosper in health, wealth, relationships, and he told them exactly what he expected them to do and give for worship. It was there, in written form for them. He even performed many miracles for them in their deliverance from Egypt and subsequent time in the wilderness. But he kept having to send judges to guide them, because even though they could simply be guided by God himself through his written word, they could not seem to grasp the concept of God being the leader of their nation. They wanted to be like the nations around them and have a "real" king, just like them. And so God gave them kings. And they were still sinful. They worshiped false gods, sacrificed their children to Baal, and generally disregarded God's laws and wisdom. Until, as punishment, they were carried out into captivity and only a remnant of them was left to return to Israel.
However throughout these ancient times there lived faithful men willing to honor God and serve him, from Noah to Moses, and Moses through David, Josiah and Hezekiah, and all the prophets, such as Samuel, Ezekiel and Jeremiah.
And even if we look at the present age (the Christian era, or the last days), the Jews rejected Christ, as most of the world still does, false teachers rose up right away to corrupt the message, and believers were persecuted for following Christ, but there were and are faithful men willing to serve him and live according to God's will. So that is the take-away, really. No matter where you live, no matter what circumstances encompass you, you can chose to be obedient to God. He gave you this wonderful gift of freedom of choice. So each and every one of us has the freedom of deciding to obey his voice, his commands found in his word. Every era, every generation has its evil and its good. There is not one better than the other, from the beginning of time forward, they are just different. And in every era and in every generation there is a remnant of faithful that chose to obey him, even if the world around them is evil and compromised. God is not asking you to wish for better times and better circumstances, he wants you now. He wants you to chose to serve him and trust him. Trust that he knows what is best for you, trust that his commands are not grievous and that they are a blessing to those who chose to follow them, regardless of where you are and when you live.