Herbert W. Armstrong would ask in his sermons, "Why were you born?" He also wrote a booklet with that title, stimulating thoughtful questions about the purpose of life. For thousands of years, people have been trying to answer that question. Books galore have delved into the subject. The great minds of the ages have searched for an explanation, and taken their guesses and speculations about the subject.

What does God say? "'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.' So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them" (Genesis 1:26-27).

God had a specific reason for creating us—to form us into His image-bearers. The Father's intention from the beginning was to form people in His likeness. Adam and Eve's choices, however, continue to affect us today.

Since mankind is a slave of sin, none of us can be 100 percent like God. God knew His human creation would make wrong choices—that was the risk, the choice, of giving us free will. So, even before He laid the world's foundation, He had a plan with all of this in His mind and purpose.

We often hear it referred to simply, but powerfully, as "redemption." When our Father, through His Son, draws a person who wants to be right with the Father, he or she is made blameless through genuine repentance and the sacrifice of the Son, Jesus Christ. Wonderfully and powerfully, He makes us a new man or woman who can start life anew.

God desires for us to live as Jesus would, to follow those timeless footprints called His example. So, He molds our spirit and character if we submit humbly. That process doesn't end until we receive our new eternal bodies and become a true reflection of our Lord and Master. While still in the flesh, we model our Lord to those around us as lights.

Like a Father, God is pleased to see His children maturing to look more like Him. He delights in seeing us be "chips off the old block." We honor Him when we consistently model this conduct or way of life to others, and it can be sincerely encouraging when we see it in ourselves.

Even when we have other successes and achievements in this human life, He will not allow us to be content unless we are undergoing His work of transformation. The "peace of God which surpasses all understanding" and His joy will elude us until we submit to His plan for us—because bearing His image is our very purpose in life, and if we do, we know that the future in His Kingdom will bring some awesome rewards and opportunities. His plan for us is to make us in His image, forever!