Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go" (Isa. 48:17).
When I remembered how long ago these words were written, I was particularly impressed by the word "profit" therein, for it reminded me of our custom today of finding out periodically, and especially at the end of each year, how much profit a business has made. Having prepared many Profit and loss statements for corporations, I have seen hoped-for profits realized, and sometimes I have seen the year's end reveal a loss. Especially when there is a loss, but also when a business makes a profit, executives and accountants carefully look over sales, cost of goods sold, inventories, and expenses to find ways to improve operations.
God's operations in His business of governing the universe need no improvement, and He knows nothing about imperfect material activities, because they are not in His creation. Since there is nothing but one infinite God manifesting Himself, His business is the only business in earth and heaven. Man is the manifestation of God, and as a complete idea of Mind, divine Principle, God, he can manifest only that which is loving, wise, and good.
