WORD OF LIVING WATER DAILY INSPIRATION

Monday, 22nd December, 2025.
THEME: Lead your Child to Jesus
(1 Sam 1: 24-28,Ps(1Sam 2), Lk 1:46-56)

Hannah fulfilled her promise of dedicating her child to God. She gave out the child to serve in the house of God. Samuel grew up in the temple through the hands of Eli the priest. In other words, Hannah taught Samuel the ways of God from his childhood.

Our children are gifts from the Lord. Therefore, it is the responsibility of parents and guardians to let them know the one who gave them to us. We have to let them fall in love with Christ. They can’t know Christ if we don’t guide them to know him. We need to teach them how to pray, read the bible and taking church seriously. This is what Hannah did, which all parents must emulate.

I must admit that some parents have failed in this regard. Some of us couldn’t lead our children to Jesus. And today they have become wayward. Some of them don’t know God and live ungodly life. Our children are not rooted in God because we didn’t help them to establish a strong relationship with Jesus. The principle of catch them young is very important in child upbringing. You can control them a lot when they are young but not when they reach certain stages. Start to train them in the Lord from childhood and they will not depart from it. As scripture says, train the child in the ways of the Lord, and when he grows he will not depart from it.

Beloved, it is also true that some parents are making all efforts but their children are not co-operating. We need to also intensify our prayers for such children in those moments. The devil also seeks to destroy our children when they know their future. Hence, we need to battle it spiritually to bring change in the life of these children. St. Monica accordingly prayed unceasingly for the conversion of his son St. Augustine of Hippo. Which came to pass one day. Never give up on your child. It is only God who can change that child. Persevere in prayer, because one day a miracle will happen in the life of that child.

Stop cursing your children and using bad words when they offend you. Always speak good words and invoke the blessings of God upon them. Because that is our wish that they become great personalities for us.

Invest in the spiritual lives of your children. As you are struggling to give them proper education, give them Jesus too. It will be a useless venture for your child to be an academic giant but a moral dwarf. Unfortunately, that’s what most of us have made our children to be. The best treasure you can give your child is Jesus. Salvation is the best gift you can offer your child.

May God give us the strength to bring up our children in the ways of the Lord. Amen.
Have a Blessed Day.
Shalom. 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Rev. Fr. Akakpo Matthew.

Tuesday, 23rd December, 2025.
Theme: God will take away your Shame
(Mal 3: 1-4;4:5-6,Ps 25, Lk 1:57-66)

Elizabeth who was called barren, had also conceived. We are told that she hid herself for the first five months of her pregnancy ( Lk 1:24-25). She herself declared that the favor of the Lord has finally located her, and God had taken away her shame among her people. To be a barren among a society where childbearing is cherished so much is a difficult situation indeed. I could imagine what this woman had to endure. To hid herself for five good months even when she was pregnant, tells you the severity of her situation. But God didn’t allow her to continue to be a laughing stock among her people. God intervened at the moment when all seemed humanly impossible.

Beloved if Elizabeth was able to conceive and give birth, then God will also change your story. I don’t know the kind of difficult situation which has brought shame to you. Sometimes you don’t want to even show up in public, because you become a point of mockery. In fact, you don’t want that issue to be discussed anywhere, because it brings you memories of sadness and pain.

But I promise you, God will take it away for you to be totally free. That shame will be taken away forever. In fact, you will even forget that you once experienced such situation. When God intervenes in our bad situations, he refreshes our lives. He makes all things new to the marvel of ourselves.

People will come from far and near to come and testify to the greatness of God. The neighbors and kinsfolk of Elizabeth heard of the great deeds of God in her life. Some of these people were surely part of those who were disgracing her because of her situation. But today, they are rejoicing with her. Because they have no choice than to rejoice. They may not be happy inwardly, but they have no choice. Because for the moment, they are powerless before God. God has proved to them that he is capable of anything.

Beloved, cheer up because your deliverance is just at the corner. Your God will come to your aid, hence stop entertaining sadness in your life. You have been crying for quite so long. Your God is alive,he will surely come and save you. He didn’t forget of the promise he made with the Israelites, hence he will never forget about you. Continue to persevere in your prayers and trust the power of God. It is a matter of time, your story will change. God is faithful to those who trust him. Remember what God can’t do doesn’t exist. Remain calm and wait on the Lord.

May God give us the strength never to give up in our moments of shame.. Amen.
Have a Blessed day.
Shalom. 🙏🏼🙏🏼
Rev. Fr Matthew Akakpo

Wednesday, 24th December, 2025. (Mass during the Day)
Theme: Appreciate the Goodness of God
(2 Sam 7: 1-5,8-12, 14,16,Ps 89, Lk 1:67-79)

King David intended to build a befitting place for the worship of God as an appreciation to God for giving him successes in his military expeditions. He acknowledged the finger of God in his entire life. And to show appreciation, he wanted to build a national worship center, something which was a great priority to the Israelites.The Israelites until the time of Solomon didn’t have a well built temple for their worship. They had places which served as national centers for worship, but these were not temples. Of course, God told David to leave that task to his successor, his son Solomon. But the fact that David wanted to build a temple for God as a form of appreciation is worth emulating.

Beloved, we need to appreciate the graciousness of God in our lives. God has done a lot in your life during this year. But for God you would have been buried. Because the kind of sickness you experienced this year, maybe should have resulted in death. Someone didn’t fall sick , but is dead. Another person’s condition was not up to your’s but he or she is gone. Somebody is in a situation where you can boldly say you are better than the person. Be grateful to your maker for his kindness to you.

Yes, it is true that all weren’t well with you this year. You are not in the best condition that you can boast of. But I want you to know that you are still far far better than someone. Please if you want to challenge me then go to the various hospitals and verify by yourself. In fact, after checking in the emergency alone you would appreciate the graciousness of God in your life. Maybe you didn’t meet your expectations this year, but still you are better than someone. And you might not know why God hasn’t granted you that heart desires.

God has three ways of answering our prayers. The first one is the usual responding to our prayers when they are in line with his will, that is the ‘ YES response. The second is the ‘ WAIT ‘ response. When his time is not up for such an intention, definitely he will make us to wait. And the third is the NO response. This occurs when that intention is not in line with his will. He will decline to it. Therefore seek out which response is God giving to that intention.

Like David, I want to challenge you to do something substantial to appreciate what God has done for you. Someone decided to put up a church to appreciate God, another showed kindness to a poor family or persons, another also supported the church in a particular way, another also supported his or her priests or pastors in a special way. The choice is yours depending on your strength. I want you to do something special in this Christmas to appreciate what God has done for you during this year.

May God help us to always appreciate him in our lives. Amen.
Have a Blessed day and a fulfilling Christmas celebration.
Shalom.
Rev. Fr. Matthew Akakpo

WORDS OF LIVING WATERS DAILY INSPIRATION
Wednesday, 24th December, 2025. ( The Nativity of the Lord- At the Vigil Mass)
Theme: God has not Given up on You
(Is 62: 1-5,Ps 89,Acts 13:16-17,22-25, Mt 1:1-25)

In the first reading, God is promising the Israelites of the fact that he won’t be silent, he won’t rest until he has delivered them from the hands of their enemies. And it truly came to pass when he delivered them from slavery. But more importantly, in Christ he has delivered them from their greatest enemy which is sin. The celebration of Christmas is a fulfilment of the promise of God to deliver humanity from slavery. Truly he is a covenant keeping God, he keeps to his word.

Some of us have given up on ourselves. We have lost hope in life.We think all is lost for us. If God hasn’t given up on you, how do you give up on yourself? Continue to wait on the Lord in prayer. Your right moment will come. It is a matter of time and your story will change. Never give up, surely God will answer you at the appointed time.

Someone has given up in his situation. You think that God has abandoned you and the fact that God can’t do it for you again. Please nothing is too late for him to do and nothing is too hard for him to do. In fact, God is never late in any situation. He is always on time.Nothing is impossible for God to do and as I always say what God can’t do doesn’t exist

It doesn’t matter how long you have been waiting on the Lord. You only need to wait on him for his own time. This is the challenge of us Christians, the fact of waiting. The spirit of waiting eludes us most of the time. We fail to wait and as a result, we end up going to other sources for help. Please have the courage to wait on the Lord, whiles you continue to seek his face in prayer. God’s time is always the best. As humans as we are it is not easy to wait, especially when it seems to be delaying. If you should find yourself in such situations you would understand. Please try to sympathize with such people and encourage them. Maybe if you were in their shoes, you wouldn’t have survived.

God would come to your aid and deliver you. Your moment will come. God will shame those who think all is over for you. Just trust him and hope in him. We have a God who never fails, so never give up. Stop crying and be strong because your moment of deliverance is just at the corner. Your God has a track record of doing mighty deeds in our lives. He has never fail and he will never fail you. Pray till something happens.

I know you are going through a lot, and your pillow is soaked with tears. In fact, you are going through hell.It seems God has distance himself from you. God will intervene at the right time. Keep on with your spirit of patience and waiting. Your time will surely come okay.

Beloved, the gift of my priesthood is a true testimony of the power of perseverance and a sign of God’s unfailing power in our lives. If God has done it for me after all these while, then I encourage you to also continue to persevere.

May God strengthen us to always trust in his unfailing power Amen.
Have a Blessed day and a fulfilling Christmas celebration.
Shalom.
Rev. Fr. Matthew Akakpo

RECEIVE CHRIST WITH JOY

(Isaiah 52: 7-10, Psalm 98, Hebrews 1: 1-6, John 1: 1-18) 

Christmas is celebrated to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ among humanity. The Word of God taking human form to live among us; God sharing in our humanity so that we can also share in his divinity. His Incarnation has really united heaven and earth, giving us the opportunity to once more share in the glory of God which humanity lost through the fall. The birth of our savior was the beginning of a new era in human history, which is the source of hope and joy for the entire human race. It is a symbol of God’s unconditional love for His children (Jn 3:16). Christmas should be a celebration of great joy as the angel told the shepherds “Don’t be afraid; I am here to bring you glad tidings (good news), and great joy for all the people. Today a savior has been born to you in David’s town; he is the Messiah and the Lord” (Lk 2:10-11).

In celebrating this occasion, the church offers us the opportunity to welcome our Messiah no more physically but spiritually into our lives as our savior and our Lord.  So God offers us salvation through His son and it is up to us to respond to this invitation. The spiritual aspect of Christmas of late has been relegated to the background and has been overshadowed by the material aspect, making the core reason of celebrating Christmas not having much impact on the lives of believers. This is a worrying situation which as Christians we have to correct by living out the true meaning of Christmas. 

Emulating what God did for humanity, we are also expected to show unconditional love to others such as the poor and needy, the aged, the unloved, the orphans, the inmates, to mention a few. This love can be expressed in diverse means. For instance, sharing of food, giving out unused clothes, sending text messages, buying Christmas cards, donating money, among others. More often than not, the opposite rather occurs. Most Christians give to those whom they can receive. In other words, the practice now is “give and take” which is not christened according to our Lord and needs to change (Matt 5:46). It is also time to unite as families, as friends, as neighbours as a nation. Christ brought unity and peace to humanity through His birth. We cannot afford but to promote peace and tranquility. Be an instrument of peace this Christmas and not division. Show love to people who have never experience your love before, which is a mark of a true Christian. 

As we celebrate the incarnation of God among humanity, which expresses his love for us, it is my prayer that this joy and love will permeate all aspects of your lives. I pray that you will radiate this joy that the angels announced to the shepherds in our homes and our societies. May his birth cause divine blessings on you and the entire family. During this yuletide, it is my prayer that the good Lord will find a place in the hearts of all Christians, and when he has taken his place there, lifts us high according to His own will. AMEN.    RADIATE THE JOY OF CHRIST TODAY in your life

I WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS AN D A PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR IN ADVANCE! TAKE CARE OF YOUR LIFE IN THIS PERIOD BECAUSE YOU ARE PRECIOUS TO gOD. I also wish all travellers travelling mercies to THEIRvarious destinations during this yuletide.

REV. FR. Matthew AKAKPO

Feast of St. Stephen
Friday, 26th December, 2025
Theme: Don’t be afraid of Your Persecutors
( Acts 6:8-10;7:54-59, Ps 31, Mat 10:17-22)

Stephen was the first Christian martyr. He died for the sake of his faith in Jesus Christ.The people plotted to kill him and they succeeded killing him, simply because he stood for the truth. The early Christians faced similar situations. They suffered in the hands of the Jewish leaders on account of their faith.
In the gospel reading, Jesus is telling us that some of these persecutors will be our own relatives and family members. People who are so close to us. They will stand against us because of our faith in Jesus.

When we stand to do the right thing, we will have a lot of oppositions. From our families, church, work places and so forth. But we should never give up, because of the treatment we receive from them. Beloved, in life you will definitely have people who will always plot against you. Don’t expect everyone to love you, some people will naturally hate you. Sometimes for no genuine reasons.

Our way of life challenges these people, hence the only way for them to continue their evils is to destroy you. Some will project negatives about you to make you unpopular. Humans in general do not like people who stand to do the right thing always, especially in our world of today. In such moments, stand firm and look up to God for your protection and deliverance.

Your God will never abandon you in their hands. They may seem to be on the winning side but God will come to your aid at the right moment. Continue to be the conscience to them, especially in this corrupt world of our time. When everybody seems to be enjoying the fruits of corruption.

Don’t follow the crowd to also do the wrong thing. Even if everybody is corrupt at your work place, you should be the only person who stands tall among them. One day they will appreciate you. We are called to be credible witnesses and not counter witnesses. The double standard way of life can’t promote the kingdom of God. If we also do what they are doing, how can we create the difference in our societies? Don’t be afraid to be insulted, disgraced, unfavored, hated, because of doing the right thing. That makes us true followers of Christ.

May God grant us the grace to stand persecutions and be the conscience of the people. Amen.
Have a Blessed Day. I still wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year in advance.
Shalom.🙏🏼🙏🏼
Rev Fr. Matthew Akakpo

Feast of St. John the Evangelist
Saturday, 27th December, 2025
Theme: Stay Close to Jesus
( 1 John 1:1-4, Ps 97, Jn 20:2-8)

John was the only apostle who died a natural death. He contributed a lot to Christianity, both in word and in deed. He was a great instrument of God, because he avail himself for God to use him. All this was possible because he was much in touched with the Lord. To the point that the Lord also developed a strong affection for him. Hence he was called the beloved disciple.

Beloved, like John when we also stay close to the Lord,we become great instrument of him. When we are able to avail ourselves to the Lord, he uses us to accomplish great deeds among his people. Therefore the onus lies on us to get much in touch with Jesus.

As we abide in the Lord,then his will also prevail in our lives. Because we allow him to take charge of our lives. He becomes the driver of our lives, hence things move in our lives according to his purpose. As we stay close to Jesus, we discover more about him. The more we know God,the more we discover about ourselves. It is a call to submit totally to the will of God. It is a call to always be at the feet of Jesus.

One thing we should take note is that the activities we carry out can only be sustainable and make impact on people’s life if we are always in touch with God. Because, we draw strength from Him to carry out these activities. You need to be in touch with God in order to be inspired to touch people’s life. The truth is that we become empty if we fail to have that daily communion with the Lord. We become empty vessels if we fail to go back daily to the Lord, who is the source of our strength.

May God grant us the grace to remain in him always. Amen.
Have a Blessed weekend.
Shalom.🙏🏼🙏🏼
Rev. Fr. Matthew Akakpo