be-attitudes

This morning I had the privilege of sharing everything I know about Matthew 5:2-12. It obviously is not much, because I threw in a couple jokes and stories and still finished in about 20 minutes. I did get some nice compliments though, so I thought it might be worth putting onto paper.
I like to refer to these statements as "be-attitudes" because they describe the attitudes that should be evident in my life.
The passage is taken from the "sermon on the mount" which ends with these words at the end of chapter 7, "...the crowds were amazed at His teaching, because He taught as one who had authority and not like their teachers of the law." Not only was the content of the "speech" solid, but He clearly understood how spirituality works. The "teachers" at that time, and maybe now too, give their best advice based on their limited understanding, but the God-man, Jesus, spoke with authority. So the "blessed are those who" statements are not just good ideas, they really fall more into the category of the 10 Commandments.
The goal - to have the attributes of God evident in my life
"Blessed are the poor in spirit" is not talking about those who mope around feeling sorry for themselves. There are two Greek words for poor. One means "I ain't got much." But the word used in this verse means "I got nothin.'" It is important to understand that the first step towards spiritual maturity is admitting that when it comes to the relationship between me and God - I have nothing to offer. He offers me the free gift of salvation. I can't earn it. I can't be good enough. I can only admit that I have nothing to appease the almighty God and beg for mercy. Now God is full of mercy and eager to forgive, but I have to admit I am really, really poor when it comes to spiritual things.
Step one - confess that I am a sinner in need of God's mercy