Do you fear God or do you have a friend in Jesus?

I don't see how both can be true if you believe they are one and the same. It seems to me that something has to give. The idea that there is this lake of fire reserved for those who have not measured up will be cast into just seems a bit extreme and cruel if we were all created with free will. I have no answers and I'm not listening to anymore biblical references on the subject. I think I'll prefer to just live and be curious to see what happens.