Daily Devotions for Die-Hard Fans: Alabama Crimson Tide

SAMPLE DEVOTION
CLOCKWORK
Read Matthew 25:1-13.
"Keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour" (v. 13).

All the Tide was trying to do was run out the clock. All they did was pull off one of the longest touchdown drives ever.

On Saturday, Nov. 16, 2002, in Baton Rouge, the 10th-ranked Crimson Tide led 14th-ranked LSU 6-0 with only 1:53 left in the half. Against the country's top-ranked defense, the Tide had managed only 129 total yards. So when the offense trotted onto the field with the ball sitting at the Alabama four with only one timeout left, their instructions were clear: Make a first down and run out the clock; get out of the cold into a warm dressing room with that six-point lead.

A funny thing happened, though. Coach Dennis Franchione and offensive coordinator Les Koenning called for a little delay handoff to tailback Santonio Beard. He got twelve yards; that was good; the clock could run. So they called that play again. 19 yards this time. Then, on third down, Shaud Williams got the delay handoff and 18 yards. With LSU concentrating on the option, the draw play was eating up chunks of yardage.

The ball was on LSU's 47 with 42 seconds left, and the goal changed. Suddenly, the team was thinking three points. On second down, the Tide called that same draw play and Williams exploded for 32 yards to the Tiger 14. Quarterback Tyler Watts spiked the ball to stop the clock with 22 seconds left.

The goal had changed again. A touchdown suddenly seemed quite possible. This time the Tide really crossed LSU up by running the option the Tigers had been trying to defend. Watts got nine yards and a penalty on a late hit. From the two, he kept it again and scored. When Triandos Luke added the conversion on an end around, Alabama led 14-0 at halftime.

Trying to run out the clock, the Tide had driven 96 yards in 101 seconds. LSU never recovered; Alabama won 31-0.

We may pride ourselves on our time management, but the truth is that we don't manage time; it manages us. Hurried and harried, we live by schedules that seem to have too much what and too little when. By setting the bedside alarm at night, we even let the clock determine how much down time we get. A life of leisure actually means one in which time is of no importance.

Every second of our life - all the time we have - is a gift from God, who dreamed up time in the first place. We would do well, therefore, to consider what God considers to be good time management. After all, Jesus himself warned us against mismanaging the time we have.

From God's point of view, using our time wisely means being prepared at every moment for Jesus' return, which will occur — well, only time will tell when.

Les Koenning and I just talked about getting a first down.
- Coach Dennis Franchione on the strategy that preceded the drive

We mismanage our time when we fail to prepare for Jesus' return even though we don't know when that will be.