Charles “Chuck” Feeney was born in 1931 at the height of America’s Great Depression.

His family wasn’t wealthy — young Feeney did odd jobs for neighbors to earn some spending money — but his parents were generous, always ready to help someone who needed it.

After a stint in the U.S. Army during the Korean War, Feeney founded Duty-Free Shoppers with a friend he met at Cornell University. The company was a runaway success that made its owners billionaires.

Inspired by Carnegie’s views that the best use of wealth was to help others, Feeney determined to help those less fortunate.

As the founder of The Atlantic Philanthropies, he has given away over $6.3 billion. His foundation supports a wide range of educational, scientific, and civil-rights projects in several countries — all with the aim of improving people’s lives.

Feeney’s goal is to give his entire fortune away. “I want the last check I write to bounce,” he declares. When asked, “How do you become a millionaire?” he once famously answered, “Become a billionaire first.”

As Christians, we have access to the greatest treasure known to humanity: eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ. Too many hoard that treasure, keeping it all to themselves.

Yet God encourages us to spend it freely — enriching the world with the Good News of Jesus.