All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Way back in grade school we had to memorize various short poems. Perhaps some of you remember one of those couplets: "In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue; And found this land, land of the Free, Beloved by you, beloved by me."

Of course, that was way back in the days when Columbus was regarded as a magnificent explorer and an exemplary human being.

Today, by every meaningful barometer, Columbus has been demoted. No longer do many people consider him to be a "good guy." More and more he is becoming thought of as a despoiler, a destroyer of civilizations, an enslaver of Native Americans, and a mass murderer of unprecedented proportions.

Perhaps that explains why, without a dissenting vote, the Minneapolis city council recently decided to jettison Columbus Day and, in its place, celebrate Indigenous People's Day. Now I can certainly understand why Native Americans might wish to see Columbus dethroned. Their argument, "Columbus couldn't discover this hemisphere because our ancestors were there to greet him," makes sense.

All of this means Columbus has now joined the pilgrims, and so many other historical figures, whose facts are no longer considered to be factual, whose truth is untrue, and whose legacy has been revised beyond recognition.

It gets to the point where many folks are pretty sure they can't be pretty sure about anything.

Now understand, this Daily Devotion is not designed to defend Columbus, or pilgrims, or how past generations looked upon and remembered them. Like you and me, these folks were sinners, and because they were sinners they messed up. Sometimes they messed up monumentally.

Still, there is a danger here.

That danger arises when Jesus is thrown in with the wrongdoers and He -- along with Holy Scriptures -- end up being dismantled, dissected and disregarded. When the Lord's blood-bought story of salvation is relegated to the realm of myth and legend, truth becomes suspect and the faith which the Holy Spirit wishes to bestow, seems to be a questionable thing at best.

St. Paul knew what he was saying when he told Timothy that the Lord's Word was designed to make us, along with out faith, complete. Such completeness cannot be based on that which is unsure and uncertain. Jesus Christ was, is, and always will be, "the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world" (see John 1:29). His Name continues to be the only Name which saves.

And that is the truth, no matter what the deniers and doubters, the cynics and skeptics might think or say.

THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, may I always trust Your Word and be given an unshakable faith in Your Son whose life became my ransom from sin, Satan and death. In Jesus' Name I ask it. Amen.

In Christ I remain His servant and yours,

Today's Bible Readings: 2 Samuel 15    Psalms 3    Psalms 69    John 4:27-54

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