Since God is,"no respecter of persons," it is safe to assume that the blessings we receive in our time are equivalent to those received in ancient times. However, in our day, with the sophistication of science, it seems that many of our blessings often go unacknowledged and credit is given to man instead of God. Somehow we have forgotten who created us and where all true knowledge comes from. Even during the times of apostasy when improvements in technology and understanding were at an all time low, accomplishments and learning still coincided with religion. It is also interesting to note how the events and ideas that developed during this time of uncertainty contributed and prepared the world to later receive the fullness of the gospel. In ancient times new information and insight was almost considered a miracle, but today with the frequency of new ideas, little is recognized as being from God.
While reading Truth and Science another interesting thing to note is the gratitude given by ancient peoples to the Lord. They would build elaborate temples and shrines worshiping him for his presence and bounteous blessings in their lives. Kings like Nebuchadnezzar would set aside their power and position to thank God for his blessings. Even the idol worshipers had the idea that some kind of god was responsible for their successes in life. Today it is becoming more and more difficult to find people who will put full trust in the knowledge that all his or her inspiration comes from the Lord. It seems that we strive for independence in society today. We don't need a God in our lives to learn new things and develop new viewpoints. We survive on our own and learn from individual experiences that we create ourselves.
What a tragedy that the most knowledgeable and loving being in the universe is slowly being pushed out of our lives. No wonder teachers complain about not getting paid enough; the best one rarely gets any credit. The blessings the Lord has poured out among his children have not changed and they never will, for God is unchanging, but the humility and meekness of his people is always subject to transformation.