1 Samuel 18:1Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Now it came about when he had finished speaking to Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself.
1 Samuel 18:3Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself.
1 Samuel 20:4Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”
1 Samuel 20:32-33 But Jonathan answered Saul his father and said to him, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?” Then Saul hurled his spear at him to strike him down; so Jonathan knew that his father had decided to put David to death.
1 Samuel 23:16      And Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David at Horesh, and encouraged him in God.
2 Samuel 9:7           David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show kindness to you for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall eat at my table regularly.”
NASB Translation
The stories in the Bible concerning King Saul, his son Jonathan, and the king to be, David, covers many chapters. King Saul was a good king for a while, then he changed. One day he would treat David as a son, the next he wanted to hunt David down and kill him. Saul had
unbelievable mood swings, serious mental problems. Through it all Jonathan was a true friend to David, he stood up for David to the point of almost being killed by his own father. Jonathan was a true friend as defined by Jesus in John 13:34-35. By definition a mentor is a friend, adviser, teacher, guide, helper, and more, usually older than those mentored, but I have had mentors younger than I. As I remember David and Jonathan’s experiences in God’s word, it seems to me they were mentor friends to each other. As a godly mentor to others for the Lord, what should I be and do? I better love God and the one mentored. I should be a follower of Jesus, and striving to be all God wants me to be, before I strive to help others be all God wants them to be. The bible is full of descriptions of how we should walk as Jesus did. Of course I cannot be as sin free as Jesus, until He comes and gets me. As a mentor I need to be committed, transparent, and striving to establish in myself all the love, moral, and ethical characteristics, shown by God in His word. As I remember them, all the mentors I was blessed with in the past and now, exhibited these characteristics, and were and are growing in them. I can only be a mentor to those who want one, they have to believe I am their mentor. The greatest benefit to me as a mentor, is I learn and grow in knowledge and wisdom because of my relationship with others.