Have you ever heard someone apologize and wondered if they really meant it? Maybe they only said sorry because they got caught doing something wrong, or maybe they apologized but then did the same thing again the next day. There’s a big difference between real repentance and fake apologies!

Joseph’s brothers had done something terrible—they had sold their own brother as a slave and then lied to their dad about what happened. For years and years, they lived with guilty hearts, knowing they had done something awful. They probably assumed Joseph had died in Egypt and that they would never see him again.

But then one day, they discovered that Joseph was alive and had become the second most powerful ruler in all of Egypt! Can you imagine how shocked and embarrassed they must have felt? They were probably terrified that Joseph would punish them for what they had done.

But when Joseph revealed who he was to his brothers, something beautiful happened. The Bible says they had a tearful reunion, and “after that his brothers talked with him.” That conversation was probably filled with real confessions, genuine sorrow for what they had done, and sincere requests for forgiveness.

The Bible talks about “godly sorrow” that leads to real repentance. Real repentance means we’re truly sorry for what we did wrong, we don’t want to do it again, and we’re willing to make things right if possible.

Think About It: When you do something wrong, are you sorry because you got caught, or are you sorry because you hurt someone and disobeyed God? Real repentance includes confessing what we did wrong, truly feeling sorry about it, and making changes so we don’t do it again. Is there someone you need to give a real apology to? Ask God to help you have genuine godly sorrow that leads to true repentance.