The presence of the Holy Spirit, rather than sworn vows

[JEBofChristTheLord]

There are, I'll suggest, two general ways to try to approach the Lord. One, is we can "dedicate ourselves to God". I'll suggest that this is, whether in certain words or not, a sworn vow or oath:

33 “Again you have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,’ 34 but I tell you, don’t swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God; 35 nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 Neither shall you swear by your head, for you can’t make one hair white or black. 37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.
Matthew 5:33-37

The other, is that He can dedicate each of us to Himself. He offers an alternative: the presence within us, of the Holy Spirit of God, Himself, a separate person, who can and will live within us if we are willing, who will drive us closer and closer to God Himself. Our motivation is no longer something of our primary responsibility, of our primary doing; our motivation becomes thoughts God Himself places into us.

 

[Mark Quayle]

That is, in part, if not in total essence, what it means to be IN HIM.