“Whoever plots evil will be known as a schemer.”

When we consider Herod the Great, most of us don’t think of him as particularly great. We see him, as Solomon describes in this verse, as an evil schemer. The wise men showed up looking for the Savior—a newborn King—and Herod, who felt threatened by this possible rival, lied and schemed to have the wise men help him find the child. His plan was to kill Him and eliminate the potential competition. When that didn’t work, he showed his true colors and had every child two years old and under brutally murdered. That is certainly not the fun or pretty side of the Christmas story, but it is a powerful look at the extent to which evil will go to destroy God’s plans and His people. It is also an even more powerful picture of how God protects His people from those who plot evil against us. In all areas of life—social, business, and sadly even religious—we find people driven by their own agendas and desires. At least they believe they are their own, though we know they are born in the evil one, who battles God, His truth, and His children wherever he can. Thankfully, we have the beauty of the Christmas story, which reminds us that God’s plans can never be defeated by those of the devil. We serve a mighty God who, when calling us to represent His kingdom, took into account our flaws and struggles and still chose to walk with us into battle. Today, rejoice in serving a powerful God who doesn’t need schemes or schemers to fulfill His plans. #BeTheEdge

“Though they plot evil against you and devise wicked schemes, they cannot succeed.” Psalm 21:11 NIV