Church Handbook 1 teaches: "Ward members look to their bishop as the primary spiritual leader in the ward. He sets the spiritual tone for the ward by doing the Lord's work with holiness of heart." As the presiding high priest, a bishop must prepare spiritually to receive and act upon the Lord's promptings. As he does, he becomes a true disciple of Jesus Christ, and his ability to help others become true disciples increases. In this way, a bishop's leadership exemplifies the Savior's way of leading.

As you ponder on how spiritual preparation is important in your service, listen to this bishop and this branch president as they describe their personal efforts to prepare spiritually and lead in the Savior's way.

I live my life the way I need to live it, first and foremost.

A bishop prepares spiritually in his daily life to receive and act on promptings from the Lord that will bless the lives of those he serves. He is the Savior's disciple, and he does the Lord's work. When I was set apart, I remember a real strong point that he made. And he said that I had to be worthy to receive the inspiration when I needed it to lead.

On a daily basis, to prepare myself spiritually and be able to preside and to serve in this office as bishop, I have to make sure I do all of those simple, small things--reading my scriptures, studying my scriptures, pondering the scriptures, seeking revelation. I made a commitment to myself when I got home from a mission that I would keep my study going. I try to study for an hour every morning still. And that really helps me. That sets me up for the day.

I have to make sure that I'm vibrant physically. I have a responsibility to make sure I take care of myself so that I can serve. It's all about being prepared and being in the right moment to be able to receive a prompting. You get a prompting to do something, and you've got to be ready to receive that and act upon it straightaway. When I act upon that prompting straightaway, you see miracles happen. In his home, his profession, his community, and his calling, a bishop is a witness of Jesus Christ. He loves and serves those he is responsible for in the way the Savior would. He is a faithful disciple, and by his example he leads others to become faithful disciples as well. I try and share my testimony every day and every minute that I possibly can through my actions by exemplifying what I feel my Savior would do in any given set of circumstances. Whether I'm acting officially in my calling or not, as a bishop or as a husband or as a father or as a priesthood holder, and in a work environment or home teacher or wherever it might be, I try and make sure that people realize, once they've met with me and talked with me, that they feel the Spirit about me and that they know that I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true.

How do these priesthood leaders prepare spiritually and lead in the Savior's way? You may want to pause to reflect on what you have learned.

In this example, you may have observed how these brethren pray, study the scriptures regularly, lead in their families, assist with family responsibilities, seek revelation, act on promptings they receive, lead balanced lives, set an example of righteousness, and bear testimony of the Savior.

As you ponder on your own service in the Lord's kingdom, you may want to ask yourself, "What can I do to better prepare spiritually, and how will my spiritual preparation bless those I serve?"