---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We cannot embrace His cross, and yet…"
description: "\"We cannot embrace His cross, and yet refuse our own. We cannot raise the cup of His remembrance to our lips, without a secret pledge to Him, to one ano..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/james-martineau-16255_accounts_we-cannot-embrace-his-cross-and-yet-refu_1755862.png"
---

#  We cannot embrace His cross, and yet refuse our own. We…

![“We cannot embrace His cross, and yet refuse our own. We cannot raise the cup of His remembrance to our lips, without a secret pledge to Him, to one another, to the great company of the faithful in every age that we, too, hold ourselves at God's disposal, that we will ask nothing on our own…” quote by James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/james-martineau-16255_accounts_we-cannot-embrace-his-cross-and-yet-refu_1755862.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/james-martineau-16255_accounts_we-cannot-embrace-his-cross-and-yet-refu_1755862.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/james-martineau-16255_accounts_we-cannot-embrace-his-cross-and-yet-refu_1755862.png)

> “We cannot embrace His cross, and yet refuse our own. We cannot raise the cup of His remembrance to our lips, without a secret pledge to Him, to one another, to the great company of the faithful in every age that we, too, hold ourselves at God's disposal, that we will ask nothing on our own account, that we will pass simply into the Divine hand to take us whither it will.”

[James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

True devotion requires surrendering personal desires and aligning oneself with divine will and communal faith.

**In simple terms:** Give up self‑interest to follow God and community.

Key Takeaway

Submit fully to divine purpose.

Themes

faith humility community submission

Mood

reflective reverent

Type

spiritual ethical

When to use this quote

- personal prayer
- church fellowship
- ethical decision‑making
- life crises
- service to others

Key Concepts

theology spiritual surrender collective identity

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you balance personal needs with divine calling?
- What does true surrender look like in daily life?

A Different Perspective

Human selfishness often resists total surrender.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accounts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/) [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Asks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/asks/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cross/) [Crosses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crosses/) [Cups](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cups/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Embrace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embrace/) [Embrace Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embrace-cross-1328125/) [Faithful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faithful/) [Great company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-company/) [Hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hands/) [Hold God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hold-god/) [Lips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lips/) [Pledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pledge/) [Raises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/raises/) [Refuse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/refuse/) [Remembrance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remembrance/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Secret Pledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret-pledge-1646605/)

## Related quotes

> [Every time you and I bow our heads in surrender to the will of God, we embrace the cross and we manifest to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-leigh-demoss/every-time-you-and-i-bow-our-heads-in-surrender-to-the-will-of-god-we/)

[Nancy Leigh DeMoss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-leigh-demoss/)

> [We must pay a price to touch godliness through daily decision to die to self and embrace the cross.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-p-yohannan/we-must-pay-a-price-to-touch-godliness-through-daily-decision-to-die/)

[K.P. Yohannan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-p-yohannan/)

> [On my recent trip to Israel, I had the opportunity to visit Yad Vashem, Israel's national Holocaust memorial, and reaffirm our collective responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/on-my-recent-trip-to-israel-i-had-the-opportunity-to-visit-yad-vashem/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [No tongue can express the greatness of the love which Jesus Christ bears to our souls. He did not wish that between Him and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-of-alcantara/no-tongue-can-express-the-greatness-of-the-love-which-jesus-christ/)

[Peter of Alcantara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-of-alcantara/)

> [No tongue is able to declare the greatness of the love that Jesus bears to every soul: and therefore this Spouse, when he would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-of-alcantara/no-tongue-is-able-to-declare-the-greatness-of-the-love-that-jesus/)

[Peter of Alcantara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-of-alcantara/)

> [Prayer lays hold of God's plan and becomes the link between His will and its accomplishment on earth. Amazing things happen, and we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-elliot/prayer-lays-hold-of-god-s-plan-and-becomes-the-link-between-his-will/)

[Elisabeth Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-elliot/)

> [“Don’t come yet, boy! You betta hold onto God’s unchanging hand! You betta hold yo mule while you shout!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quan-millz/don-t-come-yet-boy-you-betta-hold-onto-god-s-unchanging-hand-you/)

[Quan Millz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quan-millz/)

> [Quit worrying about people that are trying to hold you back. God knows how to move the wrong people out of your life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/quit-worrying-about-people-that-are-trying-to-hold-you-back-god-knows/)

[Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/)

> [“We hold from God the gift which, as far as we are concerned, contains all others, Life — physical, intellectual, and moral life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/we-hold-from-god-the-gift-which-as-far-as-we-are-concerned-contains/)

[Frédéric Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/)

> [Time is filled with swift transition naught of earth unmoved. Can stand build your hopes on things eternal. Hold to God's unchanging hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-burrell/time-is-filled-with-swift-transition-naught-of-earth-unmoved-can/)

[Kim Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-burrell/)

> [HOLD ON, for God knows what He is doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/hold-on-for-god-knows-what-he-is-doing/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When men do not love their hearth, nor reverence their thresholds, it is a sign that they have dishonoured both ... Our God is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ruskin/when-men-do-not-love-their-hearth-nor-reverence-their-thresholds-it/)

[John Ruskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ruskin/)

> [Don't just hold God hands... Let God hold your hands.. Because when you hold His hands, you can fall anytime.. But when God hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-reolope/don-t-just-hold-god-hands-let-god-hold-your-hands-because-when-you/)

[Janet Reolope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-reolope/)

> [Even when our burdens are too much to hold, God gives them to us to make us stronger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-when-our-burdens-are-too-much-to-hold-god-gives-them-to-us-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When I don't understand something, I reach up and hold God's hand. And we walk together in silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/when-i-don-t-understand-something-i-reach-up-and-hold-god-s-hand-and/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

## More by James Martineau

> [The incarnation is true, not of Christ exclusively, but of Man universally, and God everlastingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/the-incarnation-is-true-not-of-christ-exclusively-but-of-man/)

[James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

> [The mere lapse of years is not life. To eat, to drink, and sleep; to be exposed to darkness and the light; to pace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/the-mere-lapse-of-years-is-not-life-to-eat-to-drink-and-sleep-to-be/)

[James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

> [I bow in reverence before the emotions of every melted heart…The more intense the delight in their presence, the more poignant the impression of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/i-bow-in-reverence-before-the-emotions-of-every-melted-heart-the-more/)

[James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

> [God is infinite; and the laws of nature, like nature itself, are finite. These methods of working, therefore, - which correspond to the physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/god-is-infinite-and-the-laws-of-nature-like-nature-itself-are-finite/)

[James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

> [God has so arranged the chronometry of our spirits, that there shall be thousands of silent moments between the striking hours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/god-has-so-arranged-the-chronometry-of-our-spirits-that-there-shall/)

[James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

> [The pinafore of the child will be more than a match for the frock of the bishop and the surplice of the priest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/the-pinafore-of-the-child-will-be-more-than-a-match-for-the-frock-of/)

[James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

> [Religion is no more possible without prayer than poetry without language, or music without atmosphere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/religion-is-no-more-possible-without-prayer-than-poetry-without/)

[James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

> [All that is noble in the world's past history, and especially the minds of the great and the good, are never lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/all-that-is-noble-in-the-world-s-past-history-and-especially-the/)

[James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

> [Grief is only the memory of widowed affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/grief-is-only-the-memory-of-widowed-affections/)

[James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

> [Every man's highest, nameless though it be, is his 'living God'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/every-man-s-highest-nameless-though-it-be-is-his-living-god/)

[James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

> [All beneficent and creative power gathers itself together in silence, ere it issues out in might.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/all-beneficent-and-creative-power-gathers-itself-together-in-silence/)

[James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

> [There is no room in the universe for the least contempt or pride; but only for a gentle and reverent heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/there-is-no-room-in-the-universe-for-the-least-contempt-or-pride-but/)

[James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

> [Trust arises from the mind's instinctive feeling after fixed realities, after the substance of every shadow, the base of all appearance, the everlasting amid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/trust-arises-from-the-mind-s-instinctive-feeling-after-fixed/)

[James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

> [If it is permitted to the enlightened but baffled Statesman, when deserted and fallen from his place, to appeal from the voices of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/if-it-is-permitted-to-the-enlightened-but-baffled-statesman-when/)

[James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

> [All spiritual strength for ourselves, all noble ties to one another, have their real source in that inner sanctuary where God denies His lonely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/all-spiritual-strength-for-ourselves-all-noble-ties-to-one-another/)

[James Martineau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

[Explore all 40 James Martineau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/)

## More Accounts quotes

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [There is nothing that we can properly call our own but our time, and yet everybody fools us out of it who has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/there-is-nothing-that-we-can-properly-call-our-own-but-our-time-and/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [With the Truman book, I wrote the entire account of his experiences in World War I before going over to Europe to follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mccullough/with-the-truman-book-i-wrote-the-entire-account-of-his-experiences-in/)

[David McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mccullough/)

> [A great read; an exciting, frightening account of organized crime today. But like all important works of nonfiction, it goes further… This book is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/le-ly-hayslip/a-great-read-an-exciting-frightening-account-of-organized-crime-today/)

[Le Ly Hayslip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/le-ly-hayslip/)

> [I had a very blessed journey with the upbringing I had. When you're working on sets as a stuntman, you have a firsthand account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-roman-waugh/i-had-a-very-blessed-journey-with-the-upbringing-i-had-when-you-re/)

[Ric Roman Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-roman-waugh/)

> [The suppression of uncomfortable ideas may be common in religion or in politics, but it is not the path to knowledge; it has no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/the-suppression-of-uncomfortable-ideas-may-be-common-in-religion-or/)

[Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/)

> [You've got to exercise. Your health account, your bank account, they're the same thing. The more you put in, the more you can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-lalanne/you-ve-got-to-exercise-your-health-account-your-bank-account-they-re/)

[Jack LaLanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-lalanne/)

> [No physiologist who calmly considers the question in connection with the general truths of his science, can long resist the conviction that different parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/no-physiologist-who-calmly-considers-the-question-in-connection-with/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/)

[Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/)

> [Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-tweedy/stop-trying-to-treat-music-like-it-s-a-tennis-shoe-something-to-be/)

[Jeff Tweedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-tweedy/)

> [Anyone who thinks science is trying to make human life easier or more pleasant is utterly mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anyone-who-thinks-science-is-trying-to-make-human-life-easier-or-more/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [That surely must be a concern to anyone who decides this drug must be given to stop transmissions, again from mother to child, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/that-surely-must-be-a-concern-to-anyone-who-decides-this-drug-must-be/)

[Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/)

[Browse all 2,677 Accounts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accounts/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We cannot embrace His cross, and yet refuse our own. We cannot raise the cup of His remembrance to our lips, without a secret pledge to Him, to one another, to the great company of the faithful in every age that we, too, hold ourselves at God's disposal, that we will ask nothing on our own account, that we will pass simply into the Divine hand to take us whither it will.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Martineau"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/we-cannot-embrace-his-cross-and-yet-refuse-our-own-we-cannot-raise/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accounts"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/we-cannot-embrace-his-cross-and-yet-refuse-our-own-we-cannot-raise/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/james-martineau-16255_accounts_we-cannot-embrace-his-cross-and-yet-refu_1755862.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/james-martineau-16255_accounts_we-cannot-embrace-his-cross-and-yet-refu_1755862.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/080/james-martineau-16255_accounts_we-cannot-embrace-his-cross-and-yet-refu_1755862.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We cannot embrace His cross, and yet refuse our own. We cannot raise the cup of His remembrance to our lips…” — James Martineau",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "James Martineau",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-martineau/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We cannot embrace His cross, and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/we-cannot-embrace-his-cross-and-yet-refuse-our-own-we-cannot-raise/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-martineau/we-cannot-embrace-his-cross-and-yet-refuse-our-own-we-cannot-raise/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
