The man has been around dogs and cats most of his life. He knows Drover and Moses well enough to predict how each will act when he comes home from work. How surprised he would be if he came home one day and Moses came bounding out to meet him, dancing on his hind legs, jumping up and down, panting, and wagging his tail. And how strange it would seem if Drover merely fixed him with a frosty stare and then resumed licking his paw and rubbing his face. The man might even become alarmed, thinking his cat had lost its mind and his dog had fallen seriously ill.  

Yes, pets are usually predictable, and it’s good they are. Predictability can be a good trait in humans as well. The Old Testament describes Daniel as so predictable that his enemies were able to force him into a trap. They knew that if Daniel could be forced into a situation where he had to choose between his God and his life, God would come first. And Daniel did not disappoint them. He responded to their well-laid plans precisely as they thought he would.  

Believers should be predictable when it comes to choices between right and wrong. We might be surprised how much worldly-minded people know about what Christians should and should not be doing. Do we surprise them by our rudeness, insensitivity, or coarse language? Do we startle them by our reactions to trying circumstances? May we never alarm anyone by seeming to have lost the mind of Christ and become spiritually ill.  

Predictability: 
When folks can know before the fact 
Just how a Christian will react. 

From Paws on My Porch, by Gary Miller  
© 2015 TGS International, PO Box 355, Berlin, Ohio 44610 
Used by permission