Ecclesiastes 11:1 says, Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.  I believe Solomon is speaking of charity to the poor in this verse and verse two.  We are not to hoard the bounty of life for ourselves, but are to share liberally with those around us who are less fortunate than we are.  We, as followers of Christ, are called on to help the poor, the widows, and the orphans.  Much of this requirement has been turned over to the government, but that does not relieve us of the obligation.  If the government is taking charge of this requirement, we need to hold them accountable for doing so.  Verse two continues this idea stating, Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth.  We often feel that we have helped enough, but Solomon is telling us to not count how many we have helped, but to always be ready to help another.  I know we may at times have people take advantage of us or the government, but we cannot use this as an excuse for not helping someone we see that is in need.  We must do all in under the leadership of God and put the results in His hands.  When we help someone, make sure that God is given the credit for our actions.  We can never know when our fortune may change, so we need to give while we are blessed with enough to share.  Verse three says, If the clouds be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the earth: and if the tree fall toward the south, or toward the north, in the place where the tree falleth, there it shall be.  We need to remember that Solomon was speaking of helping others still.  A cloud, when it is full of rain, empties itself of water.  The cloud does not consider the worthiness of the ground to receive the water, nor does it hold anything back.  We are to give the same way.  If we see a need, we are called on to meet it if it is within our ability.  Our reward comes from God, and we can trust that he will meet our needs.  We, like a tree falling where it stands, can only serve where we are.