The Last Wishes Of Alexander The Great

On his deathbed, Alexander summoned his Generals and told them his three ultimate wishes:

1. The best doctors should carry his coffin;

2. The wealth he has accumulated (money, gold, precious stones) should be scattered along the procession to the cemetery, and

3. His hands should be let loose, hanging outside the coffin for all to see.

One of his Generals who was surprised by these unusual requests asked Alexander to explain.

Here is what Alexander the Great had to say:

1. I want the best doctors to carry my coffin to demonstrate that, in the face of death, even the best doctors in the world have no power to heal.

2. I want the road to be covered with my treasure so that everybody sees that material wealth acquired on earth, stays on earth.

3. I want my hands to swing in the wind so that people understand that we come to this world empty-handed and we leave this world empty-handed.

This story is a veritable attestation to the scriptural counsel that all the materials we expend so much time and energy to pursue and accumulate on earth at the expense of everything else are vanity. ‘For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out’ (1 Timothy 6:7). This tells us that we need to get our priorities right and focus our energy and time on things that really matter, not the ones that become irrelevant when considered with the lens of eternity.

— Author Unknown

Meditation: And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” – Luke 12:15

You will succeed in Jesus Name!